2nd Bailey bridge inaugurated on Mussoorie-Doon Rd

Mussoorie: A second Bailey bridge on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road near Shiv Mandir was inaugurated by cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi late Friday evening, bringing relief to residents and tourists who had witnessed huge traffic snarls for the past seven months due to one-way traffic movement at the site.“This will provide much needed relief to residents, and with the tourist season underway, it will help alleviate traffic congestion significantly,” said Sanjay Aggarwal, president of Mussoorie hotels association.Residents recalled the ordeal of long jams at the site. “We were caught up for several hours at this site and on days of tourist rush, it took up to three hours to travel from Mussoorie to Dehradun,” said a resident.PWD officials said that traffic movement on the new bridge began Saturday. “We had allowed small vehicles on Friday evening, and full traffic has started today. However, heavy vehicles will not be permitted on this bridge,” said assistant engineer Pradeep Shahi.Notably, the original bridge was washed away in the Sept 16 disaster last year and a temporary Bailey bridge was erected which allowed only one-way movement of traffic and resulted in chronic traffic jams, especially during tourist rush. PWD officials said a permanent bridge is planned to be built at a cost of Rs 12 crore, with construction expected to begin soon.