Borim bridge set to be partially closed

Ponda: To facilitate the changing of its wearing coat — the upper layer of asphalt — the Borim bridge will be partially shut from May 2-20.
Since the bridge is the main route that connects the Ponda and Salcete talukas and sees the movement of 35,000 passenger car units (PCU) per day, the national highway division of the PWD has decided to allow vehicles to ply on one lane of the bridge while work will be done on the other lane, said Chanda Parwar, an assistant engineer.
He said a motorcycle is considered to be half a PCU; a bus is three PCUs; and a truck is considered to be four PCUs.
The bridge which was constructed in 1986 at the cost of Rs 3 crore, has seen govt spend more than Rs 30 crore on its maintenance and reinforcement. Recently, govt sanctioned Rs 20.7 crore for strengthening and rehabilitating the bridge, including changing its wearing coat, Parwar said.
“The contractor, Sanrachana Structural Strengthening Pvt Ltd from Thane, Maharashtra, will also fix the Borim bridge’s finger-type joints,” said Satyendra Bhobe, a PWD executive engineer.