Sambalpur: The second bridge over the Mahanadi in the town will create a satellite town on the other end with an emerging educational hub.

Work on the bridge is going on in full swing. It will be completed before Utkal Divas (April 1) this year, works department executive engineer Gouranga Charan Sahu told The Telegraph.

The bridge will connect Nelson Mandela Chowk near the collector's office in Sambalpur city with Chaurpur on the other end.

The district administration has drawn up a massive plan on the other side of the river allotting government land to various educational institutions in anticipation of quick completion of the bridge.

Land has been allotted for a campus of the Indian Institute of Management, a second battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force, a second Kendriya Vidyalaya, a campus of open university and the second campus of the Gangadhar Meher University.

Apart from this, the government plans to allot land for construction of houses to landless people and housing colony for various categories of people.

"All the 50 slabs of the bridge have already been laid. Work on the approach road is going on," Sahu said. The state government is also planning to construct a ring road on the other side of the Mahanadi. It would connect Burla town.

The estimated cost of the bridge is around Rs 98 crore. The length will be 1,500 metres and the width will be 14.8 metres.