VIKRAM NAYAK
THE GOAN | VASCO
While the focus in recent weeks has been on the Porvorim flyover after a mishap had led to two deaths, there has been little attention on two flyovers in Mormugao which have claimed five lives in three years.
Built to bypass traffic bottlenecks, cut travel time, and offer modern transit across Mormugao, the high-profile elevated arterial corridors —the Dabolim Grade Separator and the Baina MPA Port Connectivity Flyover — are increasingly gaining a grim reputation as dangerous launchpads to tragedy.
In three years, these structures have witnessed an alarming trail of mishaps.
Five young lives have been lost after being thrown over the barriers to the roads below, while overturned concrete mixers, flipped cars, and spilt cargo have repeatedly paralysed commuter flow.
Five lives cut short
The danger on these elevated stretches is not merely about vehicles losing traction; it is about the sheer height from which victims are catapulted.
On October 25, 2023, two residents of Honnavar, Karnataka—Patson Rodrigues (24) and Prajwal Rodrigues (27) — were riding a motorcycle along the Dabolim Grade Separator when a loss of control sent both riders crashing over the bridge railing. They fell several metres onto the busy highway below, and both succumbed to injuries.
Later on July 14, 2025, 23-year-old Satyam Patel lost control on the Baina Port Connectivity Flyover while descending towards the port. The fatal fall claimed his life and left his 19-year-old pillion severely injured.
Most recently, on October 1, a late-night crash near a sharp curve of the Baina flyover claimed the lives of Shrishail Talwar (29) of Mangor and Survana Koppar (25) of Baina instantly after their motorcycle slammed into the outer crash barrier, launching both occupants over the edge onto the asphalt below.
Invisible hazard below
While falls have proved fatal for those on top, these accidents expose an even greater, unaddressed catastrophe for those travelling underneath.
The busy arteries running below the Dabolim Grade Separator and the Baina flyover carry thousands of commuters, pedestrians, and localised traffic daily. Every time a rider is thrown over a barrier or a heavy vehicle tilts along a curve, the road below turns into a potential hazard zone.
Consider the incident on March 8, 2025, when a truck carrying wooden chips overturned at a sharp bend on the Baina flyover. While the barrier held the truck itself, tonnes of cargo cascaded over the side onto the road beneath. Had that cargo consisted of heavy metals, steel coils, or industrial containers—or had a pedestrian or vehicle been directly under the spill—the casualties could have been catastrophic.
Sharp curves, high speeds
Why are these flyovers turning into accident hotspots? A closer look at their layout reveals a recurring problem: sharp turns combined with excessive vehicle speed.
Both the Dabolim Grade Separator and the Baina Connectivity Flyover feature sweeping turns that require drivers to reduce speed. While signboards and speed limit warnings exist, motorists speed through curves without anticipating the sharp reduction in radius.
Standard crash barriers are designed to deflect four-wheelers, but for a two-wheeler rider travelling at high speed, the height of the barrier acts as a pivot point, throwing the occupant over the guardrail rather than containing them on the roadway.
Interventions demanded
While local authorities have taken initial steps — such as installing protective corrugated sheets along vulnerable sections of the Dabolim Grade Separator — critical gaps remain on the Baina Port Connectivity Flyover.
To prevent the elevated corridors from claiming more lives, residents, commuters, and road safety advocates have been raising a collective voice to demand swift action.
Top on their wish list is the immediate installation of raised corrugated sheets, protective mesh netting, or higher impact barriers along the sharp, vulnerable curves of the Baina flyover — much like the protective screening implemented at the Dabolim Grade Separator — to ensure that neither riders nor falling debris are launched over the edge.
At the same time, authorities are urged to introduce aggressive speed-reducing measures well ahead of these dangerous turns.
Locals argue that functional speed cameras, high-friction rumbler strips, and prominent warning signs could force reckless motorists to slow down before reaching the sharpest bends.
Engineering experts and civic groups have also called for a joint safety audit by traffic police and infrastructure planners to correct hidden geometric flaws, fix merging points, and optimise lighting along the entire stretch.
