Ponda to Bhoma highway expansion to cost Rs 4.1 Bn

The Union ministry for road transport and highways (MoRTH), through the Goa Public Works Department (PWD), has tendered the work of four-laning the highway stretch from Ponda to Bhoma at the cost of Rs 4.1 billion, which includes the cost of shifting of utilities. As per the tender, the work is expected to be completed within two years, and the contractor will include a 60-month maintenance period for the road once constructed. Earlier this year, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the Central govt has approved Rs 5.57 billion for the four-laning of the 9.6km stretch from Ponda to Bhoma on NH 748. This is one of the last bottlenecks on a key highway route left to be widened in Goa. This is a crucial stretch of the highway, and the project will be executed in engineering, procurement, and construction mode. This project does not include the disputed Bhoma stretch of road, where locals sought a bypass to save their houses and village temples. This section from Ponda to Bhoma represents the missing four-lane link between the adjacent four-lane segments of Khandepar to Ponda and the Ribandar bypass. This project is expected to facilitate inter-state traffic from Karnataka and enhance connectivity to Dabolim airport and Mormugao port via NH 566 and NH 66. The current stretch of road suffers from significant congestion and frequent accidents. The four-laning is expected to address four accident blackspots.