Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Sep 26: The reopening of the entry and exit points connecting the Porvorim elevated corridor with Atal Setu is likely to take more time as the Public Works Department (PWD) works to align three elevated lanes and a service lane with the two-lane Atal Setu stretch towards Panaji.
A senior government official said work to open the entry and exit points at Porvorim had begun and is expected to be completed by next week. Once the work is finished, traffic from Porvorim will be allowed to enter Atal Setu.
The development comes nearly a fortnight after the elevated corridor was opened to traffic, with traffic management measures still being implemented to improve vehicle movement and prevent accidents.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had said on Thursday that the entry and exit points for traffic heading towards Atal Setu would be opened on Friday.
On Thursday, the PWD opened the entry to the elevated road at Porvorim for vehicles travelling from Panaji towards Mapusa. However, the stretch did not have adequate signage or rumblers at the time.
Meanwhile, another accident was reported on the elevated road on Friday as the Goa Police traffic cell and PWD continued efforts to streamline traffic. No casualties were reported in the latest incident.
The elevated corridor was opened to the public on September 11. A day later, its entry and exit points were restricted and two-wheelers were barred from using the stretch following an accident in which two people were killed.
The changes had an immediate impact on traffic movement at entry points to the state capital. However, the PWD did not consult the State Road Safety Council, North Goa district road safety committee, concerned village panchayats or the road transport authority before implementing the changes.
Sawant said there were no faults or major changes in the alignment of the elevated corridor, but acknowledged that adequate traffic management measures should have been put in place before the road was opened.
“One cannot directly connect six-lane elevated roads to four-lane Atal Setu. Before opening the six elevated roads, traffic management should have been put in place, which did not happen,” Sawant said.
The PWD has since been reopening the entry and exit points in a staggered manner. However, road safety experts have said the temporary measures may not resolve what they have described as fundamental design-related issues.