PANAJI
Commuters, particularly daily office goers will have to brace for fresh traffic snarls as the government announced the closure of two crucial stretches of the national highway for Phase I flyover works at Porvorim.
The shutdown will run from January 2 to March 2, next year, affecting thousands of daily travelers between Mapusa and Panaji.
The closures include: P16 near ODP Road to P20 near Damian de Goa and P61 near Kadamba Restaurant to P55 at O’Coqueiro junction.
Officials said one lane will remain open for traffic heading from Mapusa to Panaji but heavy vehicles carrying essential commodities will not be permitted on ODP Road from the Mapusa side.
Also, dedicated lanes will be reserved for emergency vehicles. Contractors have been directed to deploy traffic marshals at diversion points and provide cranes under police supervision to ease congestion, the official said.
The announcement has revived memories of earlier closures for the same flyover project. Commuters routinely reported spending up to 45 minutes stuck between O’Coqueiro and the Secretariat junction, with school buses and office goers bearing the brunt.
Taxi drivers too complained of missed airport connections, forcing them to leave much earlier than usual.
Meanwhile, a separate traffic advisory has been issued for President Droupadi Murmu’s departure on Sunday.
Roads on her route from Dona Paula to Dabolim Airport via Bambolim, the New Zuari Bridge, Cortalim and Chicalim, will be closed from 7:30 am to 9:30 am for all vehicles except emergency services.
Commuters are advised to use NH 566 from Birla Cross Junction, Verna, towards Dabolim Airport during the closure. Air passengers have been urged to plan travel in advance and avoid parking along the VVIP route.
The government is projecting the Porvorim flyover -- a 5.15 km long six lane flyover built on a single row of 86 piers and 87 spans -- as critical for easing long term congestion on the busy NH 66 corridor.
It is a significantly large infrastructure project and work on it had begun in April 2024, being executed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at an estimated cost of Rs 634 crore. The completion target is April 2026.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the corridor will be inaugurated on December 19, 2026, after load testing is completed. Once commissioned, it is expected to significantly reduce travel time and improve safety along the Porvorim bottleneck.
But for now, daily commuters fear another season of gridlock. With the new closures stretching into March, travelers will have to brace for delays, detours, and frayed tempers.
