The central government has approved US$196.19 million to make the Cuncolim-Bendordem stretch of National Highway 66 in south Goa into four lanes.
Pramod Sawant, chief minister of Goa, made the announcement concerning NH-66, noting that the project will include bypasses for the towns of Cuncolim and Balli. He said the project will help reduce congestion in urban areas, ease daily commutes and boost economic growth in the southern part of the state on India’s west coast.
Key highlights include a 5.8km six-lane elevated corridor, a six-lane railway overbridge and development of service roads, junctions and pedestrian safety infrastructure, according to a report on the website of India’s news channel CNBCTV18.
National Highway is a mostly four-lane 1,640 km-log road that runs roughly north-south along the western coast of India, parallel to the Western Ghats mountain range. It connects Panvel, a city east of Mumbai to Kanyakumari via Mangaluru, passing through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. NH-66 also passes through Mahe district, the third district of Puducherry (union territory).
