Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1: With an eye on India's T20 match against South Africa next Monday, National Highways Authority of India today opened one flank of the Rasulgarh flyover.
Players of both the teams will take the overbridge to reach Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Though the move is aimed at facilitating movement of players for the crucial match, it has come as a boon for motorists travelling towards Cuttack.
The National Highways Authority of India took the decision to open one flank fof the flyover after police prodded it to do so citing difficulties in taking the players through diversions.
Before it was opened for public use today, vehicles bound for Cuttack used to get diverted from Rasul-garh Square towards Mancheswar Industrial Estate. From Mancheswar, vehicles took the Palasuni Canal Road to reach the National Highway No. 5 at Palasuni Square.
The police said the diversion had forced motorists to cover an additional distance of 500 metres. However, no restrictions have been imposed on vehicles coming from the Cuttack side.
Assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Jatindra Panda said vehicles ferrying the teams to Cuttack would take the flyover.
"We are hopeful that the remaining work of the flyover would be over in another two weeks," Panda said.
Project director of Shree Jagannath Expressways Private Limited, the private body entrusted with the job of building the flyover, Colonel (retired) George Mathews said the bridge would be fully functional by Durga Puja.
The opening of the flyover emerged as a big relief for commuters as they used to be stranded on the stretch connecting Vani Vihar and Rasulgarh due to heavy traffic congestion, especially during the evening hours.
"The puja pandal near Rasulgarh attracts thousands of visitors, and if the flyover is not fully functional by then, it would create traffic chaos," said resident Santosh Samal.
Though construction of four other flyovers on the NH-5 at Vani Vihar Square, Acharya Vihar Square, CRPF Square and Fire Station Square had started along with the one at Rasulgarh, those had become operational much earlier.
The Rasulgarh flyover has faced many hurdles including the death of a construction labourer. The worker had died after a portion of a concrete slab of the under-construction flyover had collapsed.
Last November, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority had to demolish four temples and seven small shops at Rasulgarh Square to ensure that the highway did not become narrow after completion of the flyover.
The delay in construction of the flyover has also led to traffic congestion on the road connecting Rasulgarh village.
"The flyover has become a nightmare for us as we have to face traffic chaos during peak hours. The construction agency should complete the remaining work as soon as possible," said another local resident, Chintamani Nayak.
