Team Herald
PANJIM: The Atal Setu Bridge continues to create hurdles for commuters despite having been shut multiple times for repairs.
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On Monday, commuters who were exiting the Atal Setu Bridge at Panjim towards the Merces junction had to deal with that part of the road being inundated with water.
This is not the first time they have had to deal with this issue and this added to the traffic congestion that is seen at the Panjim end of the Atal Setu Bridge.
With vehicles being forced to stick to the right side of that stretch of the road to try and limit the contact the vehicle would have with the water that had covered the surface of the road. Ambulances however were seen overtaking the other vehicles and driving through the water logged roads. Concerns were raised by locals as to the damage this could cause to the ambulances and that it could lead to ambulances getting stuck midway as well.
Locals of Merces and Panjim blamed faulty road design as river water always comes on to the road during high tide and due to the lack of adequate pathways for water to flow out, the water gets accumulated on the surface of the road. Presently, the height of the road is at the same level as the adjacent water body which makes it easy for the water to flow on the road.
Locals also recalled how recently the culvert on the side of the approach roads to Atal Setu had been allegedly damaged by the road contractor, which they say has compounded the problems. Given that the Atal Setu arm was closed for a lengthy period, even crossing its deadline, locals wondered if the bridge would have to be shut again to address this issue.
There has already been a surge in the arrival of tourists, both domestic and foreign to Goa and there are daily traffic jams in that area.
PWD officials said the scope of the work concerned is the responsibility of the company that constructed the bridge, which still has to look after the maintenance works and that GSIDC is the nodal government agency concerned.
