PONDA: After a long wait, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will be completing the new Khadepar bridge, which was inaugurated six years ago in 2018 without completing the approach road towards Opa-Khandepar main junction, causing severe hardships and to commuters.
The authorities could not complete the approach road work as land acquired for it was sub judice matter in Court. Even after the case was settled two years ago, there was delay in construction of the approach road. Finally, few months ago, a tender was floated and work was resumed on the approach road, which is now nearing completion.
A local resident, Sandeep Parkar welcomed the work, since the lack of approach road was not ready and the entire road traffic passed through the service road and the internal roads of village, causing chaos.
“Finally people’s hardships will cease to exist soon,” he said.
The NHAI also confirmed that the approach road work would be completed by May this year.
During these six years, Opa-Khandepar junction turned into accident-prone zone and there was continuous demand from locals and PTA members for construction of approach road to prevent accidents.
Since past six years many minor and major accidents occurred at spot. Last year, a tourist family was injured in an accident at Opa-Khandepar while negotiating the junction through Google map. There was major accident wherein scooter rider and his father was luckily escaped who were about to crush after truck collision.
The accidents on junction often lead to long queues on highway, causing traffic jams. Recently one local scooter rider was died as a result of confusion of tempo driver at the junction, who had arrived from outside the State. One hotel at the junction was also damaged in the past, after truck rammed into the hotel. It is therefore not surprising at all to see locals eagerly waiting for the approach road to get completed.
