Twin towers on Zuari bridge to be taller, work to start in Nov

Panaji: Goa will get an engineering marvel in the form of the twin towers atop the new Zuari bridge. Construction is set to begin next month, and, as per the finalised design, the towers are expected to be taller than originally planned.

They will also have three floors instead of the two floors planned earlier.The Bhopal-based contractor, Dilip Buildcon, is keen to complete the construction within three years and operationalise the towers, a move that will help the contractor recover the cost of construction. Dilip Buildcon will be operating the twin towers itself as per the contract agreement terms.“When we constructed the new Zuari bridge, design proofing was done by experts from outside the country. But since 2016, the technological advancement in India has been exponential, and now India is developing its design capabilities like never before. The design of the towers has been proof-checked by IIT Bombay. The height of the towers is 132m from sea level,” said Atul Joshi, vice-president (constructions), Dilip Buildcon.The towers are being developed as a major tourist attraction on a par with Paris’ Eiffel Tower, where visitors will pay to access the top decks to get to an observatory or restaurant. During the initial stages of planning, a height of 110m was considered, with two floors on each tower.“There will be three decks on each tower, as per the final design, with the middle deck being partially open. Our construction period is five years, but we will complete work in three years.

There are very few structures of this kind across the world,” Joshi said. “The facade of the structure will be mostly glass. The towers themselves will consist largely of concrete exteriors. Any fabrication will be done at our unit in Indore, and then the parts will be transported to Goa.

”The cost of the structure was initially estimated to be Rs 270 crore, but it has risen since the permission procedures could be completed, making the contractors eager to complete construction of the towers and start operating them at the earliest.“The rapid environmental impact assessment has been completed, and the CRZ permission will come soon. We should begin construction next month, once the CRZ clearance comes,” Joshi said.