Work on the new bridge on Taladanda canal in progress. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Dec. 2: Two service road bridges and adequate traffic arrangements are expected to ensure smooth flow of traffic between Chhatrabazar and Nayabazar in the wake of demolition of the British-era bridge over the Taladanda canal.

Construction of the two service road bridges have been over and bulk of the city’s traffic from near OMP Square and Madhupatna-sides will be diverted through these two specified routes.

Light motor vehicles, including two and four-wheelers, will be allowed to use the service road bridges, while heavy vehicles will be diverted to the second bridge over the canal to move towards OMP Square and Madhupatna, respectively.

“Various cautionary signs, speed breakers and safety barriers have been installed on the second bridge through which vehicles on National Highway-5 will be diverted till the new bridge is built over the Taladanda canal,” said assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Pramod Rath.

Besides, police said adequate traffic arrangements were being made for smooth flow of vehicles in the wake of the demolition, which will be taken up shortly. Traffic sources said arrangements had been made to ease commuters’ problem in travelling from the Madhupatna-side to various areas, including OMP Chhak, Kalyani Nagar, Chauliaganj and the nearby zones.

“The Taladanda bridge will shortly be demolished in a planned manner and we have decided to deploy over 20 traffic constables and officers to regulate traffic,” said deputy commissioner of police S. Praveen Kumar.

Kumar said that as the direct road communication between Chhatrabazar and Nayabazar would be disrupted during the demolition, vehicular traffic would be diverted through a pedestrian underpass. The proposed demolition is expected to lead to frequent traffic congestion near Matrubhavan and create problems for the commuters on the NH.

Earlier, a joint inspection by the district administration, police, National Highways Authority of India and the Cuttack Municipal Corporation declared the old Taladanda bridge unsafe.

“At present, traffic is moving at snail’s pace on the NH-5 that acts as a connecting link between the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, Jajpur and Chandikhole sides, especially at multiple junctions, including at Madhupatna,” said Trilochan Das, a commuter.

With the demolition of the old bridge, vehicular traffic on the NH-5 as well as the city’s traffic, especially near OMP Square, College Square, Jagatpur and Madhupatna, would also be affected badly, Das said.

Engineers of Shree Jagananath Expressways Private Limited will construct a new bridge within six months after the demolition.