SAMBALPUR: Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan has urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to take steps for immediate repair and maintenance of National Highway-55, citing its deteriorating condition and the growing difficulties faced by commuters and freight vehicles.
In a letter to Gadkari, the former Union Education minister said NH-55, which connects Sambalpur with Angul and Cuttack, is one of Odisha’s key lifelines and a crucial transport and logistics corridor. However, incessant rainfall and heavy vehicular movement have resulted in large potholes and damaged stretches at several locations, posing serious problems for passenger and goods vehicles.
The situation has reportedly worsened during the ongoing monsoon, with waterlogging making deep potholes difficult to spot and increasing the risk of road accidents. The poor condition of the highway has also disrupted smooth movement and connectivity between western and coastal Odisha.
Highlighting the highway’s importance for the movement of essential commodities and daily commuters, Pradhan sought Gadkari’s immediate intervention to ensure repairs and address the pothole problem, particularly on the Sambalpur-Cuttack stretch.
He urged the Union minister to direct the authorities concerned to take prompt action, stating that timely repairs would help ensure safer and smoother travel for the public.
The move comes days after repairs were completed on a cavity that had appeared on the Maneswar-Sindurpank flyover on NH-55. The incident had also brought renewed scrutiny to the structural safety of the Sambalpur-Angul corridor, with around 270 defective works reportedly identified for rectification.
Concerns were also raised over the use and compaction of fly ash in the project, with prolonged rainfall reportedly washing away portions of the NH and raising fears of void formation beneath the road surface. Several potholes have also emerged at different locations along the stretch, prompting repair work by another agency.
