Bhubaneswar: To further strengthen pedestrian safety, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated the process to construct another foot overbridge (FOB) on the busy NH-16 near Manguli in Cuttack.
Once completed, this will be the fifth such bridge to be opened for pedestrians on the NH-16 between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. To begin with, NHAI officials on Tuesday carried out an eviction drive at the construction site to remove encroachments.
During the drive carried out with the help of local police, the authorities removed as many as 45 temporary structures and four permanent structures, which had encroached upon the site.
“NH-16 is a high-speed corridor. We want to ensure a seamless path for the vehicles and, at the same time, we need to ensure the safety of pedestrians. The new FOB will make sure that the pedestrians have a safe passage,” NHAI regional officer Veerendra Singh said.
Sources said tension arose during the eviction, but the situation was managed by police and ground staff of the maintaining agency of the NH-16 stretch between Baramunda and Chandikhole.
“Manguli needed a foot overbridge due to the frequent passage of pedestrians. We carried out the eviction drive to clear the site for construction. The eviction drive was completed and the contractor will commence work soon,” an official of the maintaining agency said.
The NH-16 stretch between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar witnesses the movement of mixed traffic. It also witnesses frequent movement of pedestrians and local traffic due to the presence of major commercial units on both sides of the highway.
For pedestrian safety, NHAI started grounding footbridges in Bhubaneswar, with the first one coming up near Nayapalli, followed by another near Satsang Vihar. Recently, the authorities opened the FOB at Palasuni and another near the Kalinga Nagar area.
“Foot overbridges are strategically located on the highway stretch. The authorities rightly installed lifts on the bridges to ensure their greater use. People should use it instead of dangerously crossing the highway,” Tapan Maharana, a commuter, said.