MAPUSA
The State government has decided to reopen the entry and exit points of the Porvorim elevated corridor, albeit with restrictions, while continuing to bar two-wheelers from using the six-lane flyover. The decision, taken at a high-level meeting on Monday, comes amid mounting concerns over traffic movement and safety at the corridor’s junctions with the Atal Setu and local roads. As reported by The Goan on Monday, the government was considering reopening the access points with restrictions, while the ban on two-wheelers was expected to remain. The meeting has now endorsed that approach, with Public Works Minister Digambar Kamat saying the entry and exit arrangements would be restored within about a week. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the traffic arrangements would be streamlined within eight days after the necessary safety measures were put in place. The meeting was attended by Sawant, Kamat, Tourism Minister and Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte, Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza, PWD and Traffic Police officials and other experts.
The IIT Kharagpur team, the project’s technical and traffic engineering consultant, joined the meeting virtually.
Restricted access
Under the revised arrangement, vehicles coming from Atal Setu will be allowed to exit near Hotel Majestic and proceed on the road below towards Porvorim or Calangute etc. At the same point, vehicles coming from the Mandovi bridges will be allowed to enter the Elevated Corridor and proceed towards Mapusa or North Goa. On the other side, four-wheelers from Porvorim’s service road will be allowed to enter and take the Atal Setu. However, vehicles coming from Mapusa and other places of North Goa on the Elevated Corridor will not be allowed to exit and proceed to Mandovi bridges to proceed towards Panaji. They will have to continue straight on the Atal Setu. However, two-wheelers will continue to be barred from the elevated corridor, even after the restricted access points are reopened. Kamat said the government would streamline the entry and exit arrangements by providing specific access points rather than reopening all the previously available movements. The measures are aimed at addressing one of the major complaints following the corridor’s opening – motorists travelling from Atal Setu towards Porvorim currently have to take a circuitous route via Guirim because of the closure of the access points.
Safety measures before reopening
The government has decided to install rumblers at its entry-exit areas to control vehicle speeds. Speed-limit signboards will also be installed at various locations, while cameras will be used to monitor motorists. Traffic Police have already begun using speed cameras on the corridor, with motorists exceeding the prescribed 65 kmph limit liable for challans. Police said the automated cameras record speeding vehicles and enable challans to be issued.
The cameras, however, currently operate only during the daytime and are not functional at night, according to Traffic Police.
The decision to modify the access arrangements comes even as the corridor continues to see accidents. The latest measures are therefore expected to restore some of the local connectivity lost after the corridor was opened, while retaining restrictions intended to address safety concerns at its entry and exit points.
Porvorim elevated corridor sees another crash
Another accident on the newly opened Porvorim elevated corridor has added to growing concerns over road safety, with a rear-end collision reported around midnight on Sunday. A Creta car was hit from behind by a Baleno on the cor ridor. Both vehicles were damaged in the collision. Two occupants of the cars were reportedly injured in the accident. Porvorim police conducted a spot inspection and took the vehicles into custody.
The latest crash comes amid a series of accidents reported on the corridor since it was opened to traffic, putting the spotlight once again on safety and traffic-management measures. Traffic police have installed automated speed cameras on the corridor to check overspeeding. Motorists travelling above the prescribed 65-kmph speed limit are to be detected and issued e-challans. However, the cameras currently have a major limitation – they operate only during the daytime and are not functional at night because of darkness. Traffic police said the cameras automatically record vehicles crossing the speed limit and facilitate the issuing of challans to offenders.
