It is understood that the outlay for the 3rd Mandovi Bridge is in the region of Rs 500 crores. The new bridge is superfluous because there are already two bridges on the Mandovi River at the site. No proper application of mind has been done by the authorities on optimum and efficient utilization of the existing two bridges before embarking on the construction of the 3rd Mandovi Bridge. By making one of the existing bridges, the ‘old’ one one-way and the ‘new’ bridge partially two-way, removal of the traffic circles at the entrance of Panjim city and installation of traffic signals it is felt that the traffic for the next five years can be handled comfortably.
In addition constructing a bridge on a National Highway out of State funds is incongruous. This is more so when the government has been talking about revenue shortages because of the stoppage of mining over the last three years that has been affecting funding of development projects. Over the last six months every single project around Goa has been stuttering to a stop but somehow the 3rd Mandovi Bridge continues to chug along.
Again unusually the 3rd Mandovi Bridge project was not put up for public scrutiny. Further since construction has commenced on the Porvorim side for the bridge the travelling public has been put to great difficulty with part of the carriageway on both the up and down sides of the highway in front of the New Legislature & Secretariat complex being appropriated for construction. The road thus narrowed down is leading to massive traffic jams particularly during rush hour, both for school-going and office traffic. As the construction of the bridge gains momentum the commuters will not only be put to greater inconvenience while passing near the construction site but also be prone to risk of injury.
The fact that the authorities have not applied their mind on how to handle the traffic while the construction of the bridge continues is identified by the fact that ad-hoc measures are being resorted to. Like routing traffic down the Alto Betim road down to the Gurdwara and through Malim which entire stretch is not suitable to carry heavy traffic and large sized vehicles like trucks and tourist buses. This inane approach projects that as the construction of the bridge continues there will be further such measures without a care for the convenience and safety of the travelling public. One can only imagine the risk when the 4-lane carriageway of the new bridge will be put up over the existing 4-lane highway below supported on central pillars placed on the highway below and fanning out on top to carry the top 4-lane carriageway. This is being stated since there being no other way to route the existing traffic other than through the bridge construction site on the present highway the risk to the travelling public is all the more greater.
Another aspect of taking up the 3rd Mandovi Bridge construction at a cost of Rs. 500 crores being unwarranted is that firstly, the alternative suggested earlier involving re-routing traffic at the bridges and at the entry to Panjim city along with installing traffic signals will not even cost 10% or Rs. 50 crores. This system can be implemented immediately and in stages so that the travelling public on the highway and while entering and exiting Panjim city is given relief quickly. Secondly, the whole of Goa can be installed with traffic signals with the Rs. 500 crore outlay on the 3rd Mandovi Bridge. This will bring the first level of automation to Goan roads and thus apart from inculcating discipline and regulation to traffic it will reduce the fatalities of 300 annually. A spin-off of installing traffic signals will be that people will be able to cross the roads safely which are getting wider while carrying denser and faster traffic. Again, the money for providing the traffic signals all over Goa can be put in stages over a few years instead of spending it on one 3rd Mandovi Bridge and wasting it.
Thus it makes sense to stop the 3rd Mandovi Bridge on an immediate basis and save scarce resources since even with whatever money that has been spent on the bridge to date, the alternatives being much cheaper, the Goan people can still save a substantial amount of money to the tune of Rs. 450 crores. This can be used for more critical projects for the public good. Stopping the 3rd Mandovi Bridge at its present level of construction, which is quite minimal, will not be an impediment for the public since the traffic can still continue to use the existing old bridges as earlier.
