Goa's New Porvorim Flyover Curbs Spark Commuter Anger, Minister Calls Them 'Knee-Jerk'

Days after the six-lane elevated corridor at Porvorim in Goa was thrown open to traffic, the state government is facing mounting criticism over temporary restrictions that include a ban on two-wheelers and the closure of entry and exit points leading towards Atal Setu.

The corridor on National Highway-66 was inaugurated by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on September 9 and opened to the public on September 11. Built at a cost of Rs 641 crore, the 5.15-km stretch is meant to ease one of Goa's most congested urban traffic corridors and is expected to carry 75,000 to 80,000 vehicles a day, connecting Panaji, Porvorim, Mapusa and North Goa while improving access to Mopa International Airport and parts of Maharashtra.

Barely a day after it opened, two people were killed when a speeding car hit a scooter and a truck from behind at the corridor's southern end. The scooter rider, Sarvesh Vengurlekar, 40, a Maharashtra native, and Amita Salgaonkar, 39, from Goa, who was in the car, died of their injuries.

In response, the Public Works Department issued a notification imposing what it described as temporary traffic restrictions, saying they were needed to assess and monitor actual traffic movement, patterns, congestion levels and the operational performance of the elevated corridor. All two-wheelers have been barred from the corridor and diverted to the service roads below, while all entry and exit points and accesses towards the Atal Setu side remain closed except for emergency and essential services.

The closure of the main exit towards Panaji and the interchange between Atal Setu and the elevated corridor has caused traffic chaos. Atal Setu, which crosses the Mandovi river, and the Porvorim corridor together form the state's key bypasses around its heaviest traffic stretches. With the interchange shut, commuters can use the two structures only if they intend to bypass both Panaji and Porvorim.

Residents say the restrictions have effectively stranded Porvorim and worsened congestion on service roads, particularly around the Hotel Neo Majestic intersection, which has also been closed. A local, Jason de Souza, said a commuter travelling from Mapusa towards Porvorim must now go up to the Merces circle petrol station roundabout and return, adding to journey time. Porvorim resident Prthvir Solanki said people had endured years of construction and diversions, only to find the completed flyover unusable because of the closed exit.

Tourism Minister and BJP MLA from Porvorim Rohan Khaunte said he had asked PWD Minister Digambar Kamat to convene a meeting on the issue, arguing that residents who suffered during construction should now benefit from the flyover. Khaunte said he was not taken into confidence about the restrictions and described them as knee-jerk, adding that public feedback must be acknowledged and acted upon. He said long-term measures were needed and the restrictions should be reviewed with corrective action taken. On waterlogging reported on the new corridor after rain, he said responsibility should be fixed on engineers carrying out work without applying their minds.

A PWD official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a meeting has been called later this week to review the situation.