BHUBANESWAR: In a big push to road and traffic infrastructure expansion in the state capital, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday laid the foundation stone for a Rs 952 crore elevated corridor project from Jayadev Vihar to Nandankanan.
The 9.5-km corridor will connect Kalinga Stadium with Raghunathpur. It assumes significance in view of the state government’s decision to put the metro project that was supposed to pass through the stretch on hold over revision of the detailed project report.
The chief minister said the elevated corridor will be a major infrastructure upgrade for the state capital and fulfil the requirement of futuristic and metropolitan city. The road project will offer seamless traffic on the arterial road in the city.
“It will be connected to multiple flyovers to offer convenience and connectivity to key areas like Kalinga Hospital square, Damana square etc. The roundabouts planned at major intersection under the elevated corridor will help in smooth vehicular movement,” Majhi said adding, the government is planning similar road network for other parts of the city in the near future.
Works minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said stress will be laid on timely completion of the elevated corridor. An official from the Works department said Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation Limited (OBCC) will take up the project for which an initial timeline of two years has been set.
Sources in the OBCC said the corridor project, that aligns with Bhubaneswar comprehensive development plan (CDP) - 2030, will start from near gate no 4 of Kalinga Stadium and end at Raghunathpur bridge. After completion, it will upgrade the existing six-lane road to an eight-lane configuration to improve capacity and traffic flow.
The project will have 5.5 metre wide service roads on both sides having an approximate length of 17.5 km. It will also have 7.5 metre wide slip roads with an approximate length of 9 km. The elevated corridor will have four-lane flyovers at Kalinga Hospital square, Damana square, KIIT square and Kalarahanga, and grade-separated junctions.
Provision of a four-lane and 190 metre cable-stayed bridge has also been planned as part of the elevated corridor project at Jayadev Vihar junction on National Highway-16, making it an architectural landmark in the urban landscape.
The grade-roundabouts will be developed in at least nine places such as Jayadev Vihar junction, XIMB square, Kalinga Hospital square, Care Hospital junction, Damana square, Infocity square, Sishu Vihar junction, KIIT square and Kalarahanga junction.