Goa: Nitin Gadkari Launches Six-Lane Elevated Road To Link Manohar Airport, Pledges Rs 30,000 Crore For Road Upgrades

Advancing road infrastructure in Goa, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a six-lane road with elevated viaducts linking Manohar International Airport to Dhargal on National Highway (NH) 166S.

The 7 kilometre (km)-long corridor, built by Ashoka Buildcon Ltd, features a 2.7 km elevated section with a peak height of around 40 metres (m) on a hilly terrain. It also includes four road overbridges and a four-leg interchange.

As per Goa's Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the pillar height of the elevated road is the highest in the country.

Even before the airport became operational, the Union government designated the road connecting Mopa Airport to NH-66 as NH-166S in September 2020.

NH-66 begins in Panvel near Mumbai and extends to Cape Comorin in Kanyakumari. It traverses the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

At present, the connectivity to the greenfield airport from Dhargal is about 15 km long , which includes certain stretches through the internal roads, and takes around 30 minutes during traffic-free times.

The new elevated connection will reduce travel time by more than half.

According to officials, with the elevated corridor, both airports will take the same amount of travel time to reach from Panjim, the capital city, which had been a point of contention within the state previously.

With direct connectivity to Mopa airport, it will also boost multi-modal connectivity and reduce logistics costs.

Furthermore, Gadkari announced his willingness to allocate Rs 25,000-30,000 crore over the next five years to improve Goa’s road network.

Highlighting major traffic congestion in tourist destinations such as Rishikesh and Dehradun, Gadkari urged the Goa government to create a comprehensive masterplan focused on transportation and pollution reduction, as per an Economic Times report.

This allocation will be particularly valuable for the eastern ring road project, designed to allow traffic from Karnataka and Maharashtra to bypass Goa’s towns.

The state also received approval for the Panaji-Belagavi four-laning project and road underpasses at several critical junctions.

Also Read: How Goa's Sea Bridges And Elevated Roads Are Reshaping The State's Roadway Map