Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Feb 3: Infrastructure works valued at nearly Rs 50 crore are set to commence in Pernem taluk to address structural flaws that emerged after the widening of National Highway 66, with a focus on road safety and landslide prevention.

A key component of the plan is the construction of a vehicular underpass at Naibag, a junction identified as a major accident-prone spot. The underpass is aimed at easing traffic flow and reducing the risk of fatalities. Following repeated accidents at the location, residents had long demanded permanent safety measures. As an interim step, traffic signals were installed in 2024, despite such signals being impermissible on national highways, until the underpass project was cleared.

The underpass work has been awarded to MD Infra at a cost of Rs 23 crore, with the agreement finalised in October last year. To enable uninterrupted construction, the Public Works Department has announced traffic diversions on the temporary extended lanes of NH-66 between Bhatpavni junction and the Naibag signal, which will remain in place until June 1, 2026. The project falls under Goa’s annual road safety plan for 2024–25, targeting officially identified blackspots.

Additional safety work will be carried out along other vulnerable sections of the highway. Bansal Infra has been awarded a Rs 10.1 crore contract for hillside slope protection along another stretch of NH-66, with the agreement expected to be signed shortly.

Another high-risk zone is Malpem, where extensive hill cutting for the four- and six-laning project has made the area susceptible to landslides. The Union highways ministry sanctioned Rs 14.1 crore in September last year for permanent landslide mitigation measures at this location. Officials said bids for the work have been received and are currently under evaluation.

At Malpem, a protection wall built earlier suffered damage during the last monsoon, when water runoff accumulated at its base, causing the structure to tilt and partially fail. Since then, residents have voiced concerns that the compromised wall could collapse onto vehicles passing below, heightening the urgency for permanent remedial action.

All the projects are being funded by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, officials said, as part of efforts to address post-expansion defects and improve safety along the busy coastal highway.