Sambalpur, Feb. 26: Two new bridges and a railway overbridge will come up here to improve connectivity.

While the old bridge over the Dhobijor nullah on the Jail Chhak-Nelson Mandela Chhak road has been dismantled to pave way for construction of two bridges, a rail overbridge will be constructed at the Durgapali level crossing between Sambalpur and Hirakud stations.

Construction for the two new bridges is on in full swing and the public works department is executing the projects. Each bridge will be 12.9 metres wide. A diversion road has been provided for commuters along the construction site. The department intends to complete the work before the rains.

"Two bridges will be built over the nullah. The stretch from Jail Chhak to Nelson Mandela Chhak will also be widened into a four-lane road," said executive engineer of the department H. Majhi.

There are several offices, including the State Bank of India main branch, along the road. The move to widen it and construct two bridges over the nullah on the road is expected to ease traffic.

Also, the ring road of the city that connects to the National Highway 6, is being widened into a two-lane road now. As the Jail Chhak-Nelson Mandela Chhak road connects the ring road, commuters will get a widened road from Jail Chhak to the NH-6.

"Heavy vehicles will be able to reach the highway without having to enter the city after the work on the bridges and road widening are over," said local resident Rabi Shankar Pradhan.

The second bridge over the Mahanadi river, also being constructed at the Nelson Mandela Chhak, will connect the square to Chaunrpur on the other side of the river.

In another development, the state government has approved the construction of a railway overbridge at the Durgapali level crossing between Sambalpur and Hirakud stations.

Sambalpur divisional railway manager D.K. Singh said Rs 22 crore had been allocated for the project. The design has already been prepared and work in this regard will begin shortly.

"The state government has given its consent to the project," said a Sambalpur rail division official.

Commuters face problems as each time a train passes, the gate closes for at least 15 minutes obstructing traffic on the road.

"A railway overbridge is essential at the crossing. Durgapali is part of the ring road and the entry point to Sambalpur. It also links Burla and Hirakud. The bridge here will smoothen the traffic movement from Hirakud and Burla to Sambalpur and vice versa," said Bulu Maharana, a commuter.

"The ring road is being widened into a two-lane road. Moreover, the second bridge over the Mahanadi, which will be a connection between Chaunrpur with Nelson Mandela Chhak, is being built. The Nelson Mandela Chhak is the starting point of the ring road from the Sambalpur side. The traffic movement on ring road will increase after the completion of these two projects," said another local resident, Dhirendra Sahu.