The construction works of flyovers are yet to be completed in Bhubaneswar, but the heavy rush and traffic jam at the main junctions have forced the government to announce three more projects for the capital city. The proposed over bridges would be built at Housing Board Square, Nalco Square and Damana Square.

Huge amount would be spent on these three projects to ease the traffic. While the flyover at Housing Board Square would be constructed at a cost of nearly Rs 74 crore, the projects at Nalco Square and Damana Square would cost around Rs 66 crore each. The state housing and urban development department has asked the works department to commission the projects on fast-track basis.

The flyovers would be constructed under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme. Apart from the over bridges, the government is planning to build an underpass at Raj Mahal at a cost of around Rs 55 crore.

Recently, the government has announced the construction of skywalks at the busy roads – Jayadev Vihar and Kalpana Square. The move would help disperse pedestrians from congested areas to strategic locations. Following the landslide victory of the ruling BJD in the ULB elections, the new projects will be commissioned to woo the voters ahead of the assembly and Lok Sabha elections next year.

Building a number of flyovers in the city is good, but public have to bear the inconveniences due to the construction work till the completion of the projects. Currently, the construction works of the over bridges at Rasulgarh, Vani Vihar, Acharya Vihar, CRP Square and Fire Station Square on the NH-5 are in progress. Time will tell, whether these new flyovers would be used more by public or it would be void of vehicular activities, as the over bridge at Raj Mahal Square is used very less by the commuters.