PONDA: Parents, students, and residents of Khandepar are breathing a sigh of relief as authorities have taken action to divert heavy traffic away from the accident-prone Opa-Khandepar Junction. The traffic that used to ply through this dangerous junction on National Highway (NH) is being rerouted through the service roads of the new Khandepar Bridge.
For several years now, the Opa-Khandepar Junction has been a site of chaos and horrifying accidents. Two years ago, a truck collided with a hotel, and more recently, a collision involving seven vehicles raised alarm bells among parents who were worried about the safety of their children who wait for buses at this junction.
Addressing this issue, a meeting was held at the Panchayat hall with stakeholders, including the local MLA and Minister Ravi Naik. During this meeting, Sandeep Parkar, a local resident, proposed a solution to widen the service roads. This suggestion has now been implemented, facilitating the diversion of heavy traffic and preventing its entry at the accident-prone Junction.
In 2018, the government inaugurated the new Khandepar Bridge, but it lacked an approach road on the Ponda side. As a result, traffic coming from Belgaum to Ponda had been using the service road of the new bridge, while the traffic going from Ponda to Belgaum was being directed through the Old Bridge and the bustling Opa-Khandepar Junction. The lack of a ramp/approach road on the new bridge had made it impossible for NH traffic to pass through the Junction.
