Centre sanctions Rs 3,300 crore for railway bridges in Srikakulam

Srikakulam: Commuters in Srikakulam district will soon find it easier to cross railway gates, as the central government has sanctioned Rs 3,300 crore for the construction of 54 bridges at all railway gates. This is the first of its kind in the country, with scores of bridge construction projects taken up by the government to ease traffic problems for the public at the railway level crossing (LC) gates, which are safety barriers where roads intersect railway tracks at the same level, designed to protect road users by closing the road when trains approach. The construction of all these bridges or flyovers is expected to be completed within two years.Central minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for a flyover on the road in Neelavathi village of the Palasa area. Apart from this, the railway authorities are already working on constructing a third railway line and implementing measures for high-speed trains, which will benefit the local public and travellers as well.It is recalled that the Railway Board has recently removed the Palasa to Icchapuram railway stations from the East Coast Railways jurisdiction and merged them into the newly formed South Coast Railway Zone. In response, railway authorities are working to remove LC gates in Khurda Division and Waltair Division by constructing flyovers and underpasses. Detailed project reports (DPRs) have been prepared for both the Waltair Division and Khurda Road Division. The railway officials have agreed to construct the bridges and related infrastructure. In the first phase, 17 flyovers, including Talabhadra, Neelavati, Baaligaon, Palavaalsa, Karapadu and others, would be constructed, and the remaining would be in the second phase.