Works Secretary Dr Krishan Kumar has stipulated a timeline for completion of a high-level bridge over the Mahanadi at Gopinathpur connecting Singhanathpeetha and Baideswar in Cuttack district.
With the completion of the bridge, the State would have the credit of an over-three-km-long bridge, the longest one so far. The massive bridge, being constructed at a cost of more than Rs 130
crore, would be completed by October this year, The Gopinathpur-side approach road has been completed and the approach road on Baideswar side is under construction. In order to speed up the construction and review quality aspects of the huge bridge, Secretary Works Dr Kumar visited the site recently, where senior officials briefed him about the progress.
Dr Kumar made an intensive review of the construction, in which he directed the Chief Engineer to look into quality aspects of the bridge. The Works Secretary harped on sticking to timeline so that common people will be able to use the bridge as soon as possible as it was their long standing demand, an official said. Chief Engineer Roads Manoranjan Mishra said the length of the bridge proper is 3.139 km having 86 spans of 36.5 meter each. Each span consists of three pre-stressed girders and RCC deck slab. The carriageway width is 7.5 meter i.e. two lane with 1.5 meter raised pedestrian footpath on both sides.
Moreover, there is a 240 meter length and 4 meter carriageway width ramp bridge connecting the main bridge at 1,350 meter from Gopinathpur side and 1,790 meter from Baideswar side to the ASI protected famous Singhanathpeetha Siv temple island on the upstream side of the bridge situated inside the Mahanadi river.
On completion, the bridge will reduce the distance from Badamba on left side of the Mahanadi to Banki on right side by 45 km. At present the approach road on the Gopinatpur side (left) is 240 meter and on Baideswar side (right) is 407 meter, connecting to Badamba and Banki with curvilinear and congested village roads.
A senior official informed that there is a proposal to connect the important bridge with long straight approach road up to the Banki Baideswar Kalapathar (ODR) road with approximately 800 meter on Banki side and 4 km straight road on Badamba side to connect with Raja Athagarh-Narasinghpur Road (SH-65).
It is also proposed to provide tourist amenity centres on both sides of the bridge to facilitate the devotees who are visiting the Singhanathpeetha throughout the year, he said.