Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate Goa’s new Zuari Bridge on December 29, 2022. Zuari Bridge is an important link between North and South Goa and the project has been under construction for a long time. Nitin Gadkari also shared a video of the new bridge on Twitter and described it as an ‘architectural marvel’. It is the second longest cable-stayed bridge in India, behind the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had earlier announced that people can walk on the new structure and admire it ahead of its inauguration.
A large number of revelers gathered on the new bridge after it was opened to pedestrians ahead of the inauguration. The old bridge running parallel to it witnessed heavy traffic jams. Hundreds of vehicles, many carrying passengers to the Dabolim airport, were stuck in a heavy rush on Monday evening at the old bridge, bringing traffic to a standstill for over three hours.
In contrast, hundreds of people thronged the new Zuari bridge at the same time to click selfies and have a firsthand experience of the cable-stayed structure. Local artistes were also seen singing along with their bands on this.
Lakhs of people have arrived in the coastal state to celebrate the New Year, which has increased the number of vehicles on the roads and worsened the situation, a senior police officer said. “The traffic jam started in the afternoon and continued till late evening. Some cars stuck in the jam at 7 pm crawled till 11 pm. Thousands of vehicles were seen on the old Zuari bridge and the roads leading to it,” he said. Said.
Goa NRI Commissioner Narendra Sawaikar recently shared the first look of the bridge. Sawaikar tweeted, “Visited the wonderful, panoramic New Zuari Bridge for its inauguration on 29th December. Conceived and gifted by Late Manoharbhai Parrikar under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji and Union Minister Shri @nitin_gadkari ji.”
Goa Forward Party general secretary Durgadas Kamat said in a tweet on Tuesday that even a tea stall using the electric connection has been set up on the new bridge. He questioned the decision of the company that built the bridge to allow the tea shop to operate before its inauguration.