Sambalpur, March 21: An alternative road to National Highway No. 6 from the city will be built shortly to streamline traffic movement.
The works department will develop Bhima Bhoi Nagar Road, which connects Santinagar on the busy Laxmi Talkies-Ainthapali Chhak Road with Bhim Bhoi Park, into an alternative stretch to the NH-6.
The road will be extended by 860m towards the highway through the foothills of the Budharaja Reserve Forest.
"The government has already sanctioned Rs 3.2 crore for the road. We will float the tender for the project shortly," said works department deputy executive engineer Narayan Patel. The road will meet the NH-6 near the Western Electric Supply Corporation of Odisha office in Ainthapali, he said.
Patel said: "The step was initiated to ease traffic congestion on the Laxmi Talkies-Ainthapali Road."
Residents here have also welcomed the proposal as a measure to reduce traffic movement on the road, considered the entrance to the city.
Apart from the Laxmi Talkies-Ainthapali Road, there are other links that connect the NH-6 at several points, including the ring road at Laxmi Dungri, Modipara-Khetrajpur Road at Remed Chhak, the road which runs in front of Gangadhar Meher University at Bareipali.
However, the Laxmi Talkies-Ainthapali Road is the busiest among them.
"If an alternative road to the national highway is developed from Fatak, traffic congestion will decrease on the arterial road," said Gagan Mishra, a regular commuter on the stretch.
Thousands of vehicles, including city buses, ply on the Laxmi Talkies-Ainthapali Road. The city buses start their journey from the government bus stand in the city and pass through the Laxmi Talkies-Ainthapali Road to reach NH-6.
"Some city buses could be diverted through the alternative road once the proposal is materialised. It will reduce traffic on the Laxmi Talkies-Ainthapali Road. Moreover, several people will also prefer to take the alternative road. The authority concerned should materialise the proposal as soon as possible," said another commuter Gaurav Mohapatra.
