Vehicles plying on the damaged Samjajpur railway over-bridge (ROB) would be diverted to two alternative roads from Sunday morning. This apart, the Railways has been asked to construct two level crossings.
Works Department Secretary Nalini Kanta Pradhan and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Odisha chief Dharmananda Sarangi on Saturdayinspected the damaged bridge. Puri Collector Arabinda Agrawal and SP Sarthak Sarangi were also present at the spot.
“The bridge is not in safe condition. It has been decided to renovate it immediately and a contingency plan has been prepared for it. The route will be diverted from 6 am tomorrow morning. The NHAI authorities have been strictly instructed to finish the bridge restoration work by June 30 so that there will be no dislocation during Rath Yatra,” said Pradhan.
The Collector told reporters that vehicles would be allowed to go over the bridge on June 20 (Snan Yatra) in a controlled manner. The over-bridge, which was constructed during the Nabakalebar festival last year, has developed cracks at many places. Besides, several portions of the road over the bridge have caved in.