To ease traffic congestion in Uttar Pradesh, the Public Works Department (PWD) will construct 400 bridges, majority of them over railway crossings.

At least three bridges will be constructed in each district to help in reducing jams and make traffic flow much easier.

This direction has been given to the senior officials of PWD Minister Jitin Prasada. After the directions, the PWD has started district-wise surveys to identify the crossings or other congested places where railway over bridges or flyovers are necessary. These bridges will include those railway crossings where about one lakh vehicles move daily. It will bring great relief to the people in the cities.

The bridges will be constructed at crossings in all 75 districts of the state, including Dilkusha railway crossing on Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow, Bhitholi railway crossing on Sitapur road, railway crossing near Safedabad and other places.

Wherever bridges will be constructed at railway crossings, cooperation from Railways would be taken. After the no objection certificate (NOC is issued by the railway, the construction of the part just above the track will be done by the engineering department of the railway so there will be no technical or any other kind of problem in the movement of railway traffic.

Recently, Public Works Department Minister Jitin Prasad held a review meeting with all the officers, in which the officers from the districts were also connected through video conferencing. All of them have been instructed to make available the list of crossings and places where there is a lot of jam in their district so that the construction of bridges can be started at the earliest.

In this regard, Public Works Department head Manoj Kumar Gupta disclosed that they, in coordination with the Bridge Corporation, would construct railway over bridges and flyovers wherever there is congestion in all the districts. He said that with the construction of bridges, the people would get relief from traffic jams.

Sources said that to initiate the work, a proposal would be sent soon to the government so that necessary budget allocation is made. The government plans to complete the work by the next parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in April/May 2024.