Govt must assess feasibility of creating bypass links to ease Margao congestion: Stakeholders
The Margao Western bypass.
MARGAO
It’s been nearly nine months since the 11-km-long Margao Western Bypass — constructed at a staggering cost of Rs 482 crore — was inaugurated with much fanfare in December last year. While the bypass has indeed played its role in decongesting the commercial capital by diverting National Highway traffic that previously passed through the town or the Eastern Bypass, it has now raised questions about its overall utility and planning.
A key question now confronting PWD consultants and planners is this: Did the project adequately account for local traffic movement to truly maximize decongestion and utility for residents?
Local motorists, particularly from the Salcete coastal belt heading toward the commercial capital — especially the Old Market area, a hub for public services — as well as tourists visiting the iconic Colva Beach, may not find the bypass very user-friendly or convenient.
The reasons are not hard to identify. A major shortcoming lies in the design of the elevated stretch — over a kilometre-long — from Mungul to the wholesale fish market. This section of the bypass, built entirely on stilts, lacks any provision for service roads, thereby limiting access for local traffic and rendering it ineffective for city-villages connectivity.
As a result, while the bypass serves its purpose for long-distance and through traffic, its failure to accommodate local mobility needs calls for a serious rethink — both in current usage strategies and in the planning of future infrastructure projects.
Questions are being raised whether there’s any scope to connect the Fatorda area of the city to the bypass either at Mungul or near the wholesale fish market with a service road.
Francisco Dias, a resident of Curtorim, voiced the frustrations of many: “The western bypass seems built only for National Highway and inter-state traffic. How could key traffic points in Margao and Fatorda be ignored in the planning process? If connected at strategic locations, the bypass could have resolved traffic chaos overnight. The government must now assess the feasibility of creating such connections to truly ease urban congestion.”
South Goa Traffic Cell in-charge, DySP Rajendra Prabhudesai, acknowledged the issue and revealed plans to conduct a study exploring ways to integrate local traffic with the bypass. “I am aware that there are no service roads linking the city to the western bypass near Fatorda,” he said. “Unfortunately, PWD and National Highway consultants typically don’t involve traffic officials when finalizing alignments”, Prabhudesai said saying his office would soon carry out a study and make recommendations to the PWD based on the findings.
For Colva traffic, one
can access bypass at
Benaulim or Nuvem
The western bypass intersects the Margao–Colva road at Mungul, but unfortunately, motorists from Colva and nearby villages — as well as tourists returning from the iconic Colva beach — may find themselves unable to access the bypass directly at this junction.
As the situation stands, those traveling from Colva have limited options: They can either take the narrow village roads through Pedda to access the bypass at Benaulim or enter Margao city via the Old Market circle and then connect to the bypass at Nuvem.
According to sources, the Old Market Circle could see a significant reduction in traffic congestion if a solution is found to divert Panjim-bound traffic coming from Colva away from the city centre.
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There’s no service road near the wholesale fish market to head towards Colva and Benaulim on the bypass. (pic 3 )
Fatorda motorists have
no choice but to pass through
Margao to head south
Consider the scenario after a football match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, when thousands of spectators exit the venue and head toward the southern coastal villages of Varca, Orlim, Carmona, and Cavelossim or for that matter, villages such as Cuncolim, Assolna, Velim or down south. Can they access the western bypass to reach their destinations quickly and efficiently? The answer, for now, is no. They have the option to first go to Nuvem or enter Margao to head to their respective destinations. And, they all opt to travel via Margao city instead of taking the bypass at Nuvem, before starting their journey.
Likewise, residents of South Goa traveling to the South Goa District Collectorate or the district hospital in Margao face similar issues. Whether headed north or south, motorists must either detour all the way to Nuvem to take the bypass or enter Margao city itself, defeating the very purpose of a bypass designed to decongest urban traffic.
The question that
needs an answer
This situation brings to the fore a pressing and contentious question: Can the government still find a way to ensure that motorists from Fatorda and Colva access the western bypass without entering Margao city?
The answer may lie in rethinking infrastructure planning at key junctions such as near the wholesale fish market and exploring the construction of a service road or a connector to link Colva Road and Fatorda directly to the bypass. Until then, Margao may not reap the full benefits of the bypass.
