Tourist influx, bridge construction continue to choke Porvorim roads

Goa needs good infrastructure which is currently so amiss. Instead of wasting tax payers money on pipe dream projects the government should put the money in proper infrastructure.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Tourist-influx-bridge-construction-continue-to-choke-Porvorim-roads/articleshow/55233417.cms

The ongoing construction work on the third Mandovi bridge has made traffic jams in Porvorim a regular feature over the last couple of years. With the arrival of the tourist season and visitors pouring in, the jams have become inevitable.

Many citizens took to social media this week to complain about the inconvenience to locals due to the daily jams, unknown to Goa otherwise. Other netizens asked that the work on the Mandovi bridge be expedited. The ongoing construction has further narrowed the road.

Users of the NH 17 along the Porvorim-Panaji route spend up to 45 minutes to an hour every day to cover the roughly eight-kilometre stretch that constitutes the Porvorim area.

The jams are expected to continue till the first week of January as is seen annually in recent years with outstation vehicles, tourist taxis on duty and rent-a-cabs adding to the congestion.

Massive trailer trucks ferrying vehicles to automobile showrooms during peak hours added to the traffic problem on Thursday.

To escape the chock-a-block NH 17, many people took the Betim route which in turn led to the Betim ferry being congested. Traffic movement is bumper-to-bumper which often leads to accidents, arguments between car owners, further adding to the chaos.

The lack of an alternate route worsens the situation. The two Mandovi bridges are the only routes available to residents of Mapusa, Sangolda, Saligao, Candolim, Calangute, Baga, Porvorim, Pilerne, Verem to Panaji.

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