After years of jams and wait at railway gate, Raipur’s Kachna overbridge finally opens

RAIPUR: After years of wait, construction hurdles and endless waiting, the much-awaited Raipur's Kachana railway overbridge was inaugurated for public use by chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday evening. The bridge, built over one of Raipur’s busiest railway crossings, is expected to bring massive relief to more than 1.5 lakh to 3 lakh residents living across rapidly expanding residential pockets of the city. For thousands of people living in Raipur’s fast-growing southern neighbourhoods, life around the Kachana railway crossing had slowly turned into a daily test of patience. School buses trapped under the afternoon sun. Office-goers check watches helplessly as railway gates shut every few minutes. On Friday evening, that long frustration finally ended. Even before inauguration, excitement was visible on the bridge late Thursday night. Workers were still fixing streetlights and completing finishing touches while local residents, unable to contain their enthusiasm, were seen jogging and walking across the newly-built structure hours before it officially opened.The overbridge connects Khamhardih to the Housing Board colony and passes over the heavily congested Kachna railway crossing, where nearly 120 passenger and goods trains move every day.According to railway officials, the crossing used to shut on average every 15 minutes — a nightmare for commuters travelling between Shankar Nagar, Khamhardih, Kachna, Jora, VIP State, Ashoka Ratan, Baradera, Chandinagar, Bhawna Nagar and adjoining colonies.The railway gate has been one of the city’s most frustrating choke points as the once “outer” area transformed into a dense residential and commercial hub over the last decade.“What used to take five minutes would sometimes stretch to half an hour. During summer afternoons, it felt unbearable,” said a resident of a society who crosses the route daily for work.The two-lane overbridge, around 871 metres long and 12 metres wide, has been built at a cost ranging between Rs 35 crore and Rs 49 crore according to different official project estimates released during various stages of construction.Officials said the project was delayed due to pending approvals from the railways related to girder placement, slab work and design clearances. The final inauguration was also briefly postponed after PWD minister Arun Sao reportedly flagged incomplete safety and technical work during a recent inspection.PWD officials claim the bridge is now equipped with reflective signages, road markings and modern lighting systems aimed at improving night-time safety.