After a delay of two years, construction of the first foot overbridge in the City near Jaydev Vihar is expected to start by the end of this month.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had laid the foundation stone for the overbridge in August 2011. But the project got delayed either due to land acquisition problems or processing of the tender.
BMC Mayor Anant Narayan Jena said the clearance of land is being carried out to begin the construction. The divider near Jaydev Vihar receives traffic from both sides, that is Nandankanan road and Bidyut Marg.
The heavy traffic makes it difficult for the pedestrians to cross the roads safely. The absence of a zebra crossing and proper traffic management make the situation worse.
BMC had proposed to construct a foot overbridge at three busy locations in the City - Jaydev Vihar, Master Canteen and Rupali Square. The construction of the foot overbridge at Jaydev Vihar got the clearance first.
The soil testing at all three locations is complete. The project was approved by the Corporation in October last year. The proposal was drafted by BMC and forwarded to National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela.
A team from NIT analysed the structural design of the foot overbridge and approved it. The representative of the private company who will construct the overbridge said two lifts will be installed at both ends.
The complete facility will also be made barrier free and senior citizen friendly through the ramps. The construction of the foot overbridge is expected to be completed by March next year.
BMC Mayor said the delay in the proposal occurred as they were trying to incorporate additional features. However, no deadline has been set for construction of the remaining two foot overbridges.