Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to take immediate steps for construction of two bridges, one over River Baitarani another over the Brahmani, connecting Rourkela.
Patnaik had made this appeal to Gadkari a week after Senior BJP MlA Dilip Ray met Patnaik and urged him to take up the issue with the Centre in public interest. In a letter, Patnaik told Gadkari that condition of the existing bridge has worsened and hence a new bridge be constructed at the earliest.
“The bridge is in a very distressed condition as plying of mining and other commercial vehicles on the bridge has increased considerably over the years”, Patnaik mentioned in the letter.
He informed that Rourkela is connected to western Odisha and northern India through this two-lane bridge constructed in the seventies. In the letter, he also apprehended that the traffic to Rourkela might be completely disrupted if any damage is caused to the bridge. Patnaik requested the Union Minister to direct the NH authorities for construction of a new bridge near to the existing one and at the same level and grade. The Chief Minister also informed Gadkari about construction of a second bridge over Brahmani on NH-143.
“The NHAI had taken up four-laning of the Biramitrapur-Barkote section of NH-143 (formerly NH-23), which also included construction of a new bridge over river Brahmani and awarded the work on 31 May 2012. Subsequently, the award was foreclosed due to delay in environmental clearance. Please expedite the project,” Patnaik mentioned in the letter. Rourkela MlA Ray has also met Gadkari and urged him to take steps for construction of a second bridge near Rourkela.