BHUBANESWAR: A second bridge connecting Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was unveiled by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik today. A number of outlying areas of Cuttack district will now have direct access to Cuttack city.
The 2.81 km bridge, named after Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Setu, is the longest in the state. Built at an approximate cost Rs 114 crore, the bridge was completed over a period of six years.
“A substantial traffic load will now be diverted to this route because people commuting to the High Court and CDA areas can now use the new bridge,” secretary of Works Department Nalini Kanta Pradhan said.
With the new bridge open, the State's two biggest stadiums - Barabati in Cuttack and Kalinga in Bhubaneswar - are now located on the same axis.
This bridge is also significant as it reduces travel time to Sambalpur.
Naveen, who took a walk on the bridge before officially dedicating it to the nation said, the new bridge will be a milestone in the state's infrastructure development.
“Netaji was born in Cuttack and I am glad to have dedicated the state's longest bridge to a great son of soil,” Naveen said. Earlier, the bridge over river Mahanadi was the longest in the state and measured about 2.6 km.
The Netaji Setu, built on Kathajodi river, a tributary of Mahanadi, will not only lessen the distance between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack by 12 km, it will also help divert traffic and ease commute. It connects Bhubaneswar to the side of Cuttack where the Orissa High Court and Barabati Stadium are located.
Construction on another bridge over Mahanadi is underway and is expected to be ready by 2019. Once complete, it will act as a ring road to the existing Cuttack-Sambalpur National Highway 55, which takes a circuitous route through the Millennium City. The two bridges will directly connect traffic to the national highway at Bali Chhaka.