Soil testing for construction of a second bridge over river Mahanadi in Sambalpur has begun. The proposed bridge will connect Sadak Ghat along the Ring Road of Sambalpur with the Mundoghat on the other side of the river.
The budget has been roughly estimated at Rs 112 crore. “The design of the bridge will be prepared after the soil testing is over. A new estimate for the bridge will also be prepared after the soil testing,” said executive engineer of Roads and Buildings department Sanjaya Sahu.
There is already a bridge over the river Mahanadi in Sambalpur. The existing bridge is on the National Highway-6, which connects Sambalpur with Bargarh. The second bridge will connect the villages located on the other side of the river. If the proposal of the second bridge materialises, the people residing on the other side of the river will have easy connectivity to Sambalpur city.
Chaurpur, Sikirdi, Kansinghari, Baijamunda, Putapali, Khabsipali, Mundoghat, Tihinkipali, Bagbira, Basantpur and many more villages, which are situated on the other side of the river, will get a direct road to the Sambalpur city. The distance between those villages and Sambalpur city will decrease remarkably after the proposal is materialised. The expansion of the city to the other side of the river will also be possible after the proposal of the bridge is materialised. The population of the city has increased remarkably in these few years. But the city has acute paucity of land.
“However, after the proposal of the bridge is materialized, the city could be expanded to the other side of the river also. Moreover, the bridge will also provide an alternative road to Bargarh,” said a local resident Digambar Singh.