Bhubaneswar: Sambalpur MP and former Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Tuesday urged union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to expedite the six-laning of NH-55 between Sambalpur and Cuttack and fast-track construction of four underpasses and a flyover in Sambalpur to improve connectivity, ease traffic congestion and enhance road safety.
In a letter to Gadkari, Pradhan said the Sambalpur-Angul-Kataka corridor is a vital highway linking western Odisha with the state’s major industrial, commercial and urban centres. With passenger, freight and industrial traffic increasing significantly along the corridor, he sought upgradation of the existing four-lane highway to six lanes along with two-lane service roads on both sides.
The proposed expansion, he said would facilitate smoother movement of local residents and commercial vehicles while reducing traffic congestion and the risk of road accidents.
Pradhan also sought immediate administrative and financial approval for four underpasses proposed by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Sambalpur, at Jindal Road, Jarpada, Jerang and Charmal on the Angul-Sambalpur section of NH-55.
He said the increasing movement of mineral and commercial vehicles along the stretch has heightened the risk to local residents and pedestrians, making the proposed underpasses essential from the road safety perspective.
The BJP MP also drew the Union Minister’s attention to traffic problems at the Sambalpur City Railway Station junction on NH-53, where a large number of railway passengers cross the national highway every day.
He said the junction has also been identified as a potential black spot and urged the Centre to accord early approval for construction of a flyover at the location and initiate work at the earliest to ensure safer and smoother movement of commuters.
Pradhan said timely implementation of the proposed projects would strengthen road infrastructure in Sambalpur and adjoining areas and support the region’s growing industrial, mineral and economic activities.
He expressed hope that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would be directed to take up the projects on a priority basis, which, Pradhan said, would further facilitate Odisha’s industrial and economic development.
