Diversion during peak tourist season for Porvorim corridor work may hit traffic flow

Panaji: The proposed closure of the national highway from Chodankar Hospital to Porvorim Bazaar, coinciding with the tourist season, may lead to traffic snarls on Chogm Road. The traffic is likely to be diverted by the end of this week.

State govt proposed the closure of this stretch of the road to fast-track the work on the six-lane elevated corridor at Porvorim.


The traffic cell of Goa police and the PWD conducted an inspection on Monday, and the traffic cell directed the PWD to complete some work before taking up the diversion.

The traffic police opposed the move, but govt directed the authorities to mitigate the impact of the closure. The increased number of tourists during this season will likely exacerbate the situation, causing delays and inconvenience for both locals and visitors.

Chief minister Pramod Sawant and PWD officials have directed authorities to start work on the diversion of traffic to mitigate the impact of this closure and ensure smoother traffic flow during this busy period. The traffic cell of Goa has opposed the closure of the road in view of heavy traffic flow from the coastal belt towards Panaji due to the peak tourist season.

A senior police officer said that during the meeting, it was decided to divert traffic to a small lane near Hotel Spice, which is proceeding from Mapusa from the Panaji side. A senior police officer mentioned that the road lane is so small that it is difficult to pass a single vehicle. The second closure would be on a new bypass road. All the traffic proceeding towards Panaji will be diverted to Chogam Road from the new bypass at Porvorim market, and it will cross the NH 66 at O Coqueiro junction and process the traffic to Panaji from the education department.

Last time, state govt decided to close the road, and even a trial run was taken up, but due to traffic congestion, state govt did not execute the road closure, and the contractor continued to work while the traffic was moving.

Sawant said that the elevated road work would be completed by Oct, and load testing will be completed by the end of Nov. “The flyover will be inaugurated on Dec 19, 2026,” Sawant told TOI.