BHUBANESWAR : After multiple rounds of planning and years of delay, the state government has finally moved with the plan of the second bridge on Kathajodi river to secure better connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Floating a bid for the project recently, Odisha Bridge and Constructions Corporation Limited (OBCC) has stated that the four-lane bridge will be constructed parallel to the existing Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Setu that connects the state capital with Cuttack via Barang.
The proposed bridge, having a length of around 3.127 km, is aimed at reducing traffic congestion on National Highway (NH) 16 as well as the existing bridge. The project will include bridge, approach road from both Trisulia and Judicial Academy, drainage lane and box culverts.
Once completed, it will significantly boost road communication between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, officials said. The existing Subhas Bose Setu on Kathajodi had been inaugurated by the then chief minister Naveen Patnaik in July 2017. The 2.88-km-long structure, built at an approximate cost Rs 114 crore, was completed over a period of six years.
The government had floated tender for the second bridge on Kathajodi in 2023. A budget of around Rs 220 crore had been set aside for the purpose. However, sources said tender was scrapped as the government wanted changes in its design in view the proposed metro project between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
OBCC sources said the fresh project will be taken up on a lump sum turnkey (LSTK) basis in which the contractor will be responsible for completing the project, from design to planning.