Panaji: Entry to Atal Setu for traffic from Porvorim will be reopened Friday, with chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday saying a complete traffic management solution for the six-lane elevated road at Porvorim would be put in place within a week.A day after the entry and exit points of the elevated road were opened for traffic travelling from Panaji towards Mapusa, Sawant said the arrangements for traffic moving in both directions would be completed with the installation of signage, signals and rumblers.Sawant said there were no faults or major changes in the alignment of the elevated road, but adequate traffic management measures should have been put in place before it was opened.“One cannot directly connect six-lane elevated roads to four-lane Atal Setu. Before opening the six elevated roads, traffic management should have put in place which did not happen,” Sawant said.He said he had directed the traffic police to install the necessary signage and signals and put in place rumblers to ensure smooth entry and exit. He also urged motorists to control their speed while entering and exiting the elevated road and Atal Setu.The chief minister said the elevated corridor was already open to traffic travelling from Panaji towards Mapusa and the coastal belt.Sawant also said consultants appointed by govt for elevated road projects are sometimes from outside the state and may not fully understand Goa’s traffic patterns. He said consultants should factor in the growth in traffic while planning such infrastructure.“There has to be deep study on state traffic before designing any elevated road to avoid confusion at the time of opening the elevated roads for traffic,” Sawant said.On the cancellation of proposed flyovers along national highways, Sawant said several flyovers had initially been planned to allow local traffic to cross highways safely without coming into conflict with speeding vehicles. However, many were subsequently cancelled following public opposition.He said people had now realised the need for such flyovers and were demanding them again, but constructing them at this stage would require substantial expenditure. Sawant added that public representatives sometimes come under pressure from residents and support demands to cancel such projects.
