Team Herald
PONDA: With heavy vehicles and loaded containers now routed via the newly-commissioned cable-stayed Zuari bridge, the villagers of Borim and the surrounding areas can breathe easy, as it has reduced the burden on the narrow Borim bridge.
The villagers, who had to endure traffic snarls and wait behind long queues of heavily-loaded trucks, are delighted that the bridge and roads leading to it have cleared up considerably.
According to Borim villagers, the old Zuari bridge was closed to heavy vehicles more than a decade ago, diverting trucks on to the Borim bridge instead. Since then, they have been anxious that the bridge may collapse or get damaged, as it was only meant for 30 tonne vehicles but was frequented by container trucks far heavier than its carrying capacity. In addition, the entire area was burdened by the constant movement of heavy vehicles, and Borkars say they
struggled to even cross the village roads.
A few years ago, there was panic among the locals when the Borim bridge was shaking at its junction, but it was soon repaired by National Highways authorities. When asked about the PWD’s plan for the 38-year-old bridge that is quite worn out by the overuse of the past decade, PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral said that work on the new Borim bridge will be taken after the completion of the missing link road work. “The new bridge will connect to the missing link road towards the Borim side. The bridge has been overburdened, but NH officials have strengthened it from time to time,” he added.
