Bhubaneswar, 21 January (H.S.): The newly constructed flyover at Hansapal on National Highway-16 in the Odisha capital was inaugurated today by Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi.

Originally scheduled for completion in 18 months, the project took five years to finish, with construction of the 600-metre-long flyover beginning in June 2020. Although commuters travelling from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar have been using the flyover since August of last year, vehicles from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack can now also access the bridge, facilitating smoother traffic flow.

The delay in the project led to two changes in contractors, resulting in political controversy and a blame game.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 24 crore, the flyover is expected to alleviate longstanding traffic congestion at Hansapal, according to officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

In addition, the MP announced that a foot-over bridge in the accident-prone Palasuni area of Bhubaneswar will be inaugurated during the first week of March, as work on this project is currently underway.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda