As part of the Setu Bandhan scheme tie-up between the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) and the Railways, construction of a new rail overbridge has been proposed at Margao, near Shree Damodar Vidyalaya High School and Higher Secondary School, Comba, at a cost of Rs 104.6 crore. Officials of the state public works department (PWD) have also proposed the construction of a missing link of the ring road connecting the power house junction to the Colva circle via Margao. This missing link is around 300m away from Shree Damodar school, and will be constructed at a cost of Rs 95.8 crore. Once both projects are ready, they are expected to ease vehicular congestion at Margao to a great extent. At present, whenever trains pass by near Shree Damodar school, the level crossing at Comba is closed for vehicles and traffic is diverted through a subway at Comba. Once the new rail overbridge is constructed, the level crossing is likely to be permanently shut. In the past, this crossing has proved to be dangerous, with deaths of pedestrians crossing over having been reported. ?The Margao ring road, connecting the Colva road and the power house circle, was partially constructed and commissioned for traffic in 2018. This project was later embroiled in litigation because of opposition from some locals whose houses would be demolished. This led to the stretch from the Colva road to the Fomento headquarters being completed, while the rest remained incomplete,? said a state PWD official. Now, as railway track doubling work is on, the frequency of trains on the route is expected to increase. And, the authorities? intention of shutting down the Comba level crossing has made it essential that construction of the road and overbridge is completed. The department has also proposed road improvements and widening of stretches across the state under the Setu Bandhan scheme, all together worth Rs 350 crore. Under Setu Bandhan, funds collected via petrol, diesel and excess cess are allocated to states for road projects.