Sambalpur July 3: Odisha Construction Corporation, which has been entrusted with the job of turning Ring Road into two lanes, has sought time till December to complete the project.

The water resources department is executing the widening work of the ring road, which connects the city with the NH-6.

Executive engineer of the water resources department S. Behera said: "The work missed the March deadline due to delay in shifting the transformers and electric poles along the road. The firm has asked time till December to complete the road."

The four-km stretch of Ring Road from Mandlia to Nelson Mandela Chhak is being widened into a two-lane road at an estimated cost of Rs 23.59 crore.

The Ring Road was constructed in 1997. The objective behind constructing the stretch, which runs along the bank of river Mahanadi in Sambalpur, was to provide an alternative to the city from the national highway. The other objective was to protect the city from flood.

Because of the heavy traffic on the national highway, several motorists prefer to take the Ring Road.

Residents of Burla and Hirakud, who regularly come to Sambalpur, also depend on the road.

Senior manager of the construction company Loknath Mohanty said: "The Western Electricity Supply Company (Wesco) has already started shifting the transformers and electric poles along the road. We hope these will be over by the end of this month."

He said that they had also urged the revenue department to evacuate some structures, which are along the road. "We are hopeful that the widening work will be completed by December," said Mohanty.

"The road will be handed over to the public works department after the widening job is complete. The works division will carry out the blacktopping of the road. It will also construct the median on the stretch," said the construction firm manager.

"I regularly use this road to go to my office in Sambalpur. Like me, many people depend on the road to reach to their destinations. The widening of the stretch will surely be of help," said a Burla resident, Tarachand Bag.