Sambalpur: The much-awaited elevated corridor on NH-53 at Ainthapali in Odisha’s Sambalpur city is likely to be completed by December 2026, an official said Wednesday.
Project director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Sambalpur, Prem Sahu said construction of the project is going on in full swing. “If everything goes according to plan, construction is likely to be completed by December next year,” he said.
Sahu said, “It would be a six-lane corridor having a width of 14.5 metres, with a total length of 3.44 km, including a 1.2 km flyover section. A significant portion of NH-53, around 12 km, would run through Sambalpur city.”
At present, commuters witness heavy traffic congestion in the Ainthapali area on the national highway as the Sambalpur-Rourkela Biju Expressway and another road, which leads to the Sambalpur airstrip at Jamadarpali area, meet with NH-53 at two separate crossroads.
Moreover, a new bus terminus has come up at Ainthapali and, as a result, at least 450 buses pass through the road, contributing to the traffic congestion in that area.
“It has been proposed that the heavy vehicles will pass through the proposed elevated corridor, effectively mitigating traffic congestion issues,” the officials added.
At the request of the Sambalpur district administration, the NHAI approved the proposal for the elevated corridor. Soil testing for the proposed project was conducted in 2020, sources said.
Last year, the Union Highways and road transport ministry allocated Rs 374.17 crore for this project and the construction of a railway over-bridge near the venture, they said.
PTI
