Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to add two service lanes on both sides of the four-lane Bhubaneswar-Puri stretch of National Highway-316 for smooth movement of traffic to the coastal town.
In a meeting, Odisha Works Department Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh on Wednesday emphasised the importance of coordination of various departments towards implementing the plan.
Officials said that service roads will be laid on both sides of the 67-km stretch of the National Highway, while a six-lane elevated corridor will be constructed on the 11-km stretch from Saptsati Square to Lingipur Square.
This would reduce the travel time between both cities and reduce traffic congestion in Bhubaneswar, officials said.
The meeting focused on the construction of special utility corridors for electricity, telephone, internet, water and gas services, as Puri and Bhubaneswar are affected by cyclones frequently. Works Department Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that an eight-lane service road with four lanes on each side will be constructed along NH-16 from Palasuni to Tamando in Bhubaneswar city. It will significantly improve traffic flow in the capital region, he said.
The Works department has directed officials to coordinate across departments and fast-track the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to begin the tendering process. To systematically unpack major traffic bottlenecks inside Bhubaneswar, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Prithiviraj Harichandan had also finalised a multi-lane expansion on NH-16.