In November 2024, during the peak of the monsoon season, large crevices had formed along the expansion joints on the lane of the new Patto bridge coming into the city. A temporary arrangement was made by covering it with steel plates. On Friday (Jan 3) the same spot was being repaired and there was a traffic pile-up till Divja Circle. The work could have been carried out at night, instead of at mid-day and on a working day when the roads are packed with locals and tourists. This bridge, with entry into and exit from Panaji has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Some years back a crack had developed on the side of the bridge exiting the city and was patched up. Fixing steel plates would not solve the problem. This bridge being an important link needs to be well-maintained and re-built at places before any unfortunate incident takes place. Is it time to build a mini-flyover over the new Patto bridge which looks older than the parallel old Patto bridge built four centuries ago by the Portuguese?
