MARGAO
It’s just a matter of time before the 11-km Margao Western bypass is thrown open for vehicular traffic on the National Highway 66. The western bypass forms part of the Union Road and Surface Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari’s ambitious NH66 highway expansion project.
In his own words, the Union Minister has insisted that the highway expansion in Goa is part of the ambitious Mumbai-Kanyakumari 4/6-lane corridor, which will play host to heavy vehicular traffic moving from the country’s west down South and vice-versa.
Incidentally, as the western bypass is all set for its commissioning, a host of road safety and traffic concerns have come to the fore along the 11-km stretch, more so at the starting point of the bypass at Belem in Navelim and the bypass merging point at Verna.
Questions are also being raised on the plying of vehicular traffic on the Eastern bypass connecting Arlem in Raia to Navelim, near the Navelim Church and its diversion after the commissioning of the western bypass. Senior Traffic police officials in the know agree that the PWD, National Highways and other agencies need to plug the loopholes and implement necessary measures to ensure smooth flow of vehicular traffic on the bypass and reduce accidents.
In focus is the starting point of the Western bypass at Belem-Navelim, the eastern bypass meeting the western bypass near Activa Honda showroom, Nuvem and the traffic merging point from the bypass with the existing road at Verna, the bypass end point.
Belem-Navelim traffic junction: The Belem-Traffic junction at Navelim, where the western bypass meets the existing NH-66, is already an accident prone zone. The junction has witnessed a spate of accidents since the bypass was connected to the NH17, including a couple of fatalities.
Take note, regulating the heavy traffic at the junction via traffic signals, has not helped to streamline traffic flow and reduce accidents. In fact, the non-functioning traffic lights and the fact that the junction is hit by traffic chaos has plunged the junction into traffic chaos.
Against this backdrop, questions are being raised whether the PWD has any concrete measures to streamline the traffic flow after the commissioning of the western bypass. For, a flyover at the junction has been sanctioned by Union Road and Surface Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari as part of the ambitious Navelim-Cuncolim NH66 expansion. But, since the flyover may not take shape at least for the next two years, questions are raised whether the PWD and traffic departments have any measures in place to streamline traffic at the junction.
A drive down the junction has revealed that a roundabout circle is taking shape at the junction for traffic regulation. Why the roundabout circle was not given a thought in the last two years, more so when the junction had witnessed spate of accidents remains unknown.
Given that traffic signals may result in a serpentine queue of vehicles coming from South to take the bypass, questions are also raised whether the PWD has provided a slip way so that vehicles taking the bypass need not wait for the signals.
Eastern bypass meets the Western bypass: The million dollar question that may occupy the minds of both Traffic officials and PWD, NH engineers is how to regulate vehicular traffic entering the western bypass from the eastern bypass near the Activa Honda showroom.
For, there’s no smooth passage for the traffic from the eastern bypass to enter the western bypass. In fact, the eastern bypass-western bypass meeting point has already become a major traffic bottleneck and the situation is only expected to worsen after the commissioning of the western bypass.
Traffic officials in private say a proposal was mooted by the department to ensure that traffic from the eastern bypass, after entering the western bypass, takes a left turn, instead of crossing the road, and head right down the underpass at the wholesale fish market, to take the left lane of the western bypass. The proposal is being given a serious thought, even though many has expressed reservations given that the distance between the eastern bypass-western bypass meeting point near the Honda showroom and the wholesale fish market is relatively long.
Merger of western bypass at the existing NH66 at Verna: As the commissioning of the western bypass is expected to bring all heavy vehicular traffic, heading towards North Goa, the merger point of the bypass with the existing highway at Verna is expected to emerge as a major bottleneck.
The PWD and traffic departments have put traffic regulation in place for traffic heading towards the old Verna-Nuvem road via Agnel Ashram. Traffic officials in the know, however, say the merger point need further streamlining and systematically designed with mediums and other measures to bear the heavy traffic load.
