Atal Setu (Goa)
Atal Setu
Third Mandovi Bridge | |
|---|---|
Bridge under construction in August 2018
| |
| Coordinates | 15°30′10″N 73°50′14″E |
| Carries | 4 lanes of NH 66 |
| Crosses | Mandovi River |
| Locale | Panaji, Goa, India |
| Official name | atul setu |
| Other name(s) | Third Mandovi Bridge |
| Maintained by | Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (GSIDC) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
| Material | Steel and concrete pylons |
| Total length | 3,190 metres (10,470 ft) |
| Width | 21 metres (69 ft) |
| Height | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Longest span | 150 metres (490 ft) |
| Piers in water | 4 |
| History | |
| Constructed by | Larsen & Toubro (L&T) |
| Construction start | 27 July 2014 |
| Construction end | 26 January 2019 |
| Inaugurated | 27 January 2019 |
The Atal Setu also known as the Third Mandovi Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge between the towns Panaji and Porvorim, in Goa. It carries NH 66 over the tidal part of the Mandovi River. It has a total length of 5.1 kilometers. It is the third longest cable-stayed bridge in India.
- History
The Mandovi bridge is one of the most famous and longest bridges in Goa. Before the bridge was built, the ferry was the main mode of transport across River Mandovi well into the 1970s between Panaji and Betim village. Due to heavy traffic the first bridge was built in the 1970s. Later in 1986 the first bridge collapsed and was later rebuilt. The second bridge was constructed in 1998 in order to accommodate heavy transport vehicles. The third bridge began construction in 2014. The reason for the third cable-stayed bridge is to accommodate heavy traffic especially during the peak year end tourist season. The bridge was inaugrated on 27 January 2019.
Construction
On 14 June 2014, the foundation stone for the third Mandovi bridge was laid by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The bridge was completed on 27 January 2019 and inaugurated at the hands of Union Roads Minister Nitin Gadkari, Goa CM Manohar Parrikar in the presence State Roads Minister Sudin Dhavalikar. This bridge was named as Atal Setu after former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Larsen and Toubro (L&T) were awarded the EPC contract at a bid of ₹ 24.24 crore to build and design the third bridge. The third bridge is a cable stayed bridge constructed between the first and second parallel bridges which is spanning over 3 kilometers and is 15 meters higher than the existing two bridges. This is Goa's longest bridge and India's third longest cable-stayed bridge.The third bridge is designed and constructed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T). The bridge is a 900 m four lane bridge is a 550 m cable stay portion and a 3.2 km viaduct approach.[6] The main bridge is 600m in length with two end spans of 75m and three interior spans of 150m. The main bridge superstructure consists of 21m wide externally strutted segmented concrete box girder with dual carriageway of 2 x 8.5m with 3m wide median at the centre. The box girder is supported by stay cables which is anchored in the pylon and stressed from box girder bottom. Another flyover arising from the Merces-Old Goa bypass road joins the Mandovi bridge for traffic from Pondato go towards Margao.
The revised cost of construction of the particular bridge being built is ₹ 860 crore and the cost could increase by ₹ 50 crore. It is the third longest cable-stayed bridge in India and the bridge is Indian in design. GSIDC said that almost 10 crore litres of water was saved while building the bridge.
Finance
During the laying of the foundation stone, Government of Goa claimed that the bridge would be funded independently. The loan agreement was signed on 8 June 2015 between National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the nodal agency granted a loan amount of ₹ 462.60 crores. The original cost of bridge was estimated to be ₹470 crores and has risen up to ₹860 crores. With a repayment period of 12 years. the government is supposed to pay an interest of ₹48 crores annually with regards to the Mandovi Bridge loan. The total amount to be repaid NABARD by the end of June 2027, therefore, stands at a figure of ₹ 866.44 crore. This bridge is set to be the most expensive bridge in Goan history. On 20 March 2018, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari said that the Central government would bear 50 percent of the bridge's cost which is ₹400 crores and an additional ₹50 crores for the road connecting the bridge.
Incidents
On 26 December 2016, a worker died on the construction site after suffering from 90 percent burn injuries while working 8 meters the ground in a vertical tunnel of the under construction bridge pillar. On 30 December 2017, a fire broke out on an under construction pier supporting the cable-stayed bridge, however there were no casualties and the situation was brought under control.
Traffic
Mandovi Bridge is one of the most heavily used bridges in Goa. According to GSIDC sources almost 66,000 vehicles travel over the Mandovi bridge everyday.
It was announced by GSIDC that the cable-stayed bridge would not be allowed for two-wheeler and three-wheeler traffic due to high speed winds.
Criticism
Environmental issues
The construction of the third bridge was challenged by Goa Foundation alleging that it is being constructed without an Environment Clearance. It also challenged the destruction of some 247 mangrove trees for constructing ramps to access the bridge. According to the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation's Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report as requested by National Green Tribunal, the construction of third Mandovi bridge will destroy mangroves to a certain extent and also impact marine ecology.
The EIA stated that there will be no loss to flora and fauna and other vegetation. However the mangroves will be replaced at suitable sites identified by Forest Department and marine ecology will be restored as stated by the EIA
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