Team Herald
PANJIM: The North District Magistrate on Saturday ordered closure of Atal Setu Bridge and diversion of vehicular traffic on the Ponda side arm of Setu for four weeks with immediate effect. The urgency comes in the wake of the deterioration of the approach joint.
The closure of the 5.1 km long cable-stayed bridge is for the rehabilitation civil work to be carried out for the LHS approach ramp (RC Ramp) located between Merces Circle and KTC Circle for the traffic proceeding from Margao to Mapusa.
The order came following a letter by Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation that the contractor M/s Larsen & Toubro has requested for rehabilitation civil work along the stretch.
“They further informed that the work has to be taken up urgently as the situation is deteriorating at the approach joint and may cause accidents. The GSIDC has requested to grant permission and issue notification for diversion of the traffic on the Ponda arm for a period of four weeks to carry out the civil work,” reads the order.
District Magistrate R Menaka has also directed to undertake necessary arrangements to erect signboards at the required places and report compliance within 15 days. The GSIDC is also directed to convey the dates of scheduled work to the Traffic Police to depute staff for traffic diversion.
Herald, on January 27 had reported about the slow paced work and ongoing dispute over the escalation charges by the contractor L&T. The GSIDC had not been in favour to pay any additional escalation cost of the project and sought legal opinion from the Law Department of the Government of Goa.
