NT Reporter
Panaji
With workers still clearing residue and material left behind from the inauguration ceremony held on Tuesday, the opening of the Porvorim elevated corridor to traffic, which was scheduled for 4 pm on Friday, was postponed to 6 pm. Excited motorists eager to be among the first to drive on the much-anticipated corridor were left waiting, with vehicles being stopped at the barricades and redirected to the surface road.
Earlier in the day, the PWD had announced the delay in the opening.
Several motorists who had arrived specifically to be among the first to use the new route chose to wait near the barricades,.
Officials at the site said they were still clearing residue and material left behind from the inauguration ceremony held on Tuesday.
As vehicles were turned away from the elevated corridor, traffic began moving slowly through the Porvorim stretch. At 6 pm, PWD Minister Digambar Kamat along with President of Goa Freedom Fighters Association Rohidas (Daad) Dessai flagged off the vehicles. Kamat personally handed over flowers to the motorists
Motorists were excited to drive on the flyover. Akash Naik, who lives in Panaji and travels to Mapusa every day for work, said he expected the flyover to make his daily commute easier by reducing the time spent in Porvorim traffic. “It is good because it will cut down the traffic and make travelling easier for people like me who travel every day,” Naik said. However, he was disappointed after reaching the site and finding that it had not yetopened.
Amresh, a Porvorim resident, had also come hoping to be among the first motorists to use the elevated corridor.
“Porvorim traffic is horrible. During peak hours, travelling to Panaji takes at least 45 minutes and sometimes even more,” he said.
Later in the evening, there was a major traffic jam on the highway.
For Vikash Alvares, who lives in Pomburpa, the opening was enough of a reason to take a route he usually avoids because of congestion. “Today I genuinely wanted to experience the flyover,” Alvares said. However, after finding that it had not opened, he decided not to wait. “Now I have to turn back because I cannot wait for two hours,” he said.
Later in the evening, there was a major traffic jam on the highway.
The elevated corridor is intended to separate through traffic from vehicles using Porvorim’s ground-level road, with authorities expecting a substantial share of traffic to use the new route. The project is expected to ease movement between Mapusa and Panaji, particularly during peak hours.
