Cuttack: Construction of the bridge over Taladanda canal from the Survey and Map Publications office side to SCB Medical College and Hospital is going on in full swing with completion of more than 30 per cent work by the end of June.

With this progress, irrigation officials hoped that the 60m-long and 7m-wide bridge would be completed in time. "The construction will be completed by September 2019," said Baleswar Sahoo, executive engineer, Mahanadi South division.

It will reduce distance between Jobra-College Square and Ranihat-Mangalabag.

The project cost was initially estimated at Rs 4.61 crore. "But it is expected to go up by 30 per cent because of a change in design. The deviation was made to add strength to the foundation," said Sahoo.

Though the foundation stone for the project was laid in 2014, construction could not start till February-March this year as encroachers had refused to move from the site.

Traffic officials said the bridge would improve connectivity between Jobra and Ranihat-Manglabag, particularly with SCB Medical College and Hospital and Bhubananda Odisha School of Engineering.

"The bridge will also reduce traffic on the road connecting College Square with Ranihat and Mangalabag to a great extent," assistant commissioner of police (traffic) P.K. Dalai said.

A lot of ambulances and private vehicles ferrying patients from OMP Square and Jobra usually get stuck in congestion on the Ranihat bypass road and at Mangalabag. Such problems would be resolved after the completion of the bridge, hoped Dalai.

"Commuters from Jobra have to cover 2.5kms to travel to SCB via College Square or Ring Road. The bridge will enable them to reach from both Ranihat and Manglabag ," said Mangalabag resident Rabindra Parida.