In an attempt to alleviate traffic congestion on the Porvorim highway during the upcoming construction of the elevation bridge, traffic police have initiated a week-long drive to divert non-essential heavy vehicles from Banda, Maharashtra, to Ponda via Dodamarg and Sankhali. The drive, started on Monday, is an experimental measure aimed at understanding the impact of the diversion on traffic flow and assessing further measures needed once the construction of the Porvorim elevation bridge by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) begins.