Bhubaneswar, Dec. 9: Next time you take the Cuttack-Puri highway, be careful on the stretch between Rasulgarh and Bomikhal Durga Mandap Square - you may either get stuck in traffic for hours or even risk an accident.

This is happening because of the slow pace of work on the Saheed Nagar railway overbridge - which has been going on for the past three years and the ongoing cabling work by the Central Electricity Utility of Odisha and Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited.

The underground cabling, which had started in October, is now going on just below the under-constructed overbridge. The work has narrowed the highway from 40 to 20 feet - 10 feet each on both sides.

"The overbridge construction, which is nearing nowhere near completion, is already contributing to difficulty in commuting and risk of accidents. Now, the underground cabling has added to the woes. Minor accidents have become a regular affair on the stretch," said Aju, who runs a fast food centre at Rasulgarh.

The major risk the authorities are putting the citizens into is inadequate fencing of the cabling work area. Here, the workers have dug the ground at least 10 feet deep just adjacent to the highway and are putting concrete slabs before laying the electric wires. They have fenced some of the sites with bamboo, while at many other areas they have parked heavy vehicles to act as fence.

"The administration should ensure proper security for the commuters, especially when they are undertaking such a critical work on such a busy stretch. This is highway running right from the middle of the city. A number of vehicles pass though it every day. The digging of the road for cabling has put motorists and pedestrians at high risk," said Jayesh Parmar, a commuter.

Besides, the construction on the overbridge, which is presently ongoing on the middle of the highway to build an intersection near Bomikhal Durga Mandap, has contributed to the making of potholes on the road. "The work is going on war footing. We have provided alternative ways for the vehicles to pass," said the roads' chief engineer O.P. Patel.

"The work on building of three pillars for the intersection will be over shortly. We have finished the work on other pillars and will begin connecting those in the next phase. If the condition remains favourable, we hope that the construction will be over by March next year," said Patel.

Another impact of the underground cabling work is hovering high on the shops that exist adjacent to the highway.

"The workers here have dug the road dip just in front of our shops. They have also not provided any alternative way for the customers to reach us. The cash crunch has already hounded our business and this work now comes as a bonus," said Harihar Barik, who runs a men's salon here.

An electricity authority official said they had asked the workers to ensure all safety measures at the construction site by putting proper fencing. "We will also put alternative paths for the people near the shops. It is a crucial project, and our officials are working day and night on it for its quick completion," he said.