For commuters who spent the past two years navigating traffic diversions and delays in Porvorim, the opening of the Elevated Corridor was expected to bring welcome change. In our earlier article, ‘Porvorim Flyover: The long road to relief’, we spoke to commuters about the difficulties they faced during the construction period and their hopes that the flyover would finally make their daily journeys easier. Inaugurated on September 9 and opened to vehicular traffic on September 11, the flyover was meant to ease congestion and make daily travel smoother. Yet, less than 10 days after it opened, with multiple accidents, one fatal, questions over traffic management, access, and safety have begun to surface, with some commuters now raising concerns about how the corridor is functioning.
Short-lived relief
Sanika says that she, along with her family and friends, had been looking forward to finally avoiding the long lines of traffic they had been dealing with for the last two years. “The first two days after the inauguration of the Porvorim Elevated Corridor felt like finally finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow,” she says, adding, “Unfortunately, that feeling was very short-lived.” According to her, the main issue has been the execution. “The concept itself was well thought out, but the planning and execution could perhaps have been better,” she remarks.
For others, however, the concerns go beyond the initial experience of using the corridor. Advocate Khiara Pinto do Rosario had expected the flyover to make daily travel far more convenient. “I expected the flyover to be of great durability, accessibility, and drivability. Would it have taken time to build? Yes. Would it be of inconvenience during construction? Also yes. Is it currently bearing any fruit of being so delayed and a great cause of inconvenience? No,” she says, adding that the flyover has not lived up to the expectations surrounding the long wait for its completion.
Traffic concerns
The concerns also extend to the traffic flow around the flyover, particularly on the roads leading to and from it. Jonas Aaron Rodrigues, an Assistant Professor, had hoped that the flyover would help reduce traffic, particularly on the Porvorim service roads. “However, with the blocking of the access point to the Atal Setu Bridge, all 4-wheelers have to use the old bridges, which increases traffic jams,” he remarks. While the flyover was advertised as a solution to the traffic woes faced by Porvorkars, Rodrigues feels that it has had minimal success so far. “In pursuing the goal of rushing project completion, the authorities, engineers and other concerned parties left out crucial factors like building elevated access corridors and planning secure exits to ensure smoother flow of traffic from the flyover. I feel that we could’ve waited a bit longer for the new flyover, so that all tests, checks and scenarios could play out and corrective measures could be implemented,” he remarks.
As one possible solution, he suggests setting up alternating barricades at exit points, similar to those on the flyover from Colvale to Guirim. “They can also install traffic signals and CCTV systems to ensure proper flow of traffic,” he suggests.
Public input
For Khiara, while the flyover itself has been a great relief, she believes that it would’ve been better if the plans had been shared with the general public. “Even if they were shared on social media, there would’ve been 100s of opinions, and some may have been irrelevant, but there could have been a few quite good ones,” she remarks. Yet another suggestion she has is to appoint local engineers and public infrastructure designers to get a proper understanding of the local terrain, locals, and the expectations of the actual public that would use it on a daily basis.
Sanika feels that a little more time could have helped before the corridor was opened. “Good things take time, and perhaps this was one situation where a little more time could have helped. More extensive testing, speed cameras, clearly visible speed-limit signs and greater public awareness could all have been considered before opening the corridor to traffic,” she says. At the same time, she believes motorists also have a responsibility to follow the rules and that the government cannot be held entirely responsible for every incident. “But perhaps the larger issue was that there wasn’t enough time given to anticipate and address all the possible scenarios,” she adds.
Access issues
She also points to the issue of accessibility, particularly for those travelling from Mapusa to Panaji. “As someone who commutes from Mapusa to Panaji daily, it is frustrating that local commuters are unable to use the flyover.” The situation, she feels, leaves commuters with several “what ifs”. “What if the government had planned better? What if they hadn’t rushed the opening?” she asks.
With these concerns still being raised, commuters say they hope the authorities will address the issues and make the corridor more practical for those who use the route every day. In particular, providing an entry and exit point for people travelling towards Panaji, as was originally planned, could make the corridor more useful for the large number of local commuters who depend on this route.
