Sambalpur, Aug. 23: The public works department will build two double-lane bridges over the Dhobijor nullah to ease city traffic.

The works' deputy executive engineer Narayan Patel said: "One bridge will come up near the Big Bazaar at Modipara Chhak, while the other will come up near the Lady Lewis Girls' School."

The existing narrow single-lane bridges in both the locations will be dismantled to make way for construction of double-lane bridges there. The width of the present bridge near the Big Bazaar is 7.5 metres, while the width of the bridge near the girls' school is 5.5 metres.

"We have proposed to build a 17.2-metre-wide bridge near the Lady Lewis Girls School at a cost Rs 4.5 crore. Similarly, a 14.80-metre-wide bridge will be built near the Big Bazaar for Rs 3.5 crore. Funds have been sanctioned for construction of the two bridges," said Patel.

The Modipara Chhak-Khetrajpur road leads towards Sambalpur railway station and the wholesale market at Khetrajpur.

Thousands of vehicles ply on the road every day. However, commuters often face traffic snarls because of the narrow bridge on the Dhobijor nullah near the Big Bazaar.

The Modipara-Kunjelpara road leads towards the Samaleswari temple. "Tourists, who come to Sambalpur, take this road to go to Samaleswari temple. The works department has taken the right decision of dismantling the existing narrow bridge on the road and build a widened bridge there. It will help ease traffic in the area," said local resident Diptesh Sharma.