Panaji: Govt on Monday decided to reopen the entry and exit points toward Atal Setu and the six-lane elevated road at Porvorim within a week, after implementing safety measures aimed at preventing future accidents. Experts from IIT-Kharagpur have warned that entry and exit points with up-and-down ramps could be dangerous for traffic movement.To reduce risks, govt plans to install traffic signals, speed breakers, and rumble strips, lower the speed limit, and create dedicated entry and exit lanes.At a meeting chaired by chief minister Pramod Sawant to address entry and exit arrangements for Atal Setu and the six-lane elevated corridor, PWD officials said the original plan did not include any entry or exit at Porvorim. Under the initial design, the elevated corridor and Atal Setu were meant to connect directly. Officials said this later changed, and they added entry and exit points at Porvorim.The meeting was attended by PWD minister Digambar Kamat, Porvorim MLA and tourism minister Rohan Khaunte, deputy speaker Joshua de Souza, and officials from PWD, RTO, and Goa police.In the first phase, entry and exit points at Porvorim will be reinstated for traffic moving from Atal Setu to the elevated road. Kamat said it has been finalised to provide entry and exit for vehicles travelling toward the coastal belt and the Panaji side.Kamat also said govt has agreed to a demand from Porvorim residents to allow them to use Atal Setu to travel toward Margao. “Most of the things will be put in place within two days and by the end of the week, the entry and exit will be open,” Kamat said.During the meeting, Khaunte raised concerns about land acquisition, stating that the road was originally planned as a 45-metre-wide project, but land was ultimately acquired for only a 25-metre-wide road. He said officials should explain why the full extent of land was not acquired.Meanwhile, enforcement remains a concern. Despite a ban on two-wheelers on the elevated corridor, tourists continue to ride onto it, including on the wrong side.A day after two people died in a multi-vehicle accident on the elevated corridor, PWD issued an order banning all two-wheelers from using it. According to govt’s decision last week, vehicles entering the flyover at Guirim will only be able to exit at Merces, not at Porvorim near Hotel Majestic. The same restriction applies to vehicles travelling in the other direction.
