Visakhapatnam: Even months after the completion of Signature Bridge, the new Rail Over Bridge (ROB) in Vizianagaram, it has not yet been opened to the public due to some technical issues. The prestigious project, that was constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore, has been lying idle in the town.
According to the officials from the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department, the bridge has a few engineering defects. The 54-metre-long ROB has been built higher than the level of the old bridge. The road-level must be negotiated up to 1.2 metres to bring both the bridges at an equal height. The vehicles from Vizianagaram to Salur and Bobbili can move only after height adjustment of the new bridge.
However, there was no problem for the vehicles coming from Vizag as the road curve directly merges with the new bridge. Currently, all the vehicles pass through the narrow old bridge constructed during the British regime.
Vizianagaram Traffic DSP L. Rajeswara Rao said that the new bridge is not feasible for easy flow of traffic. It is likely to increase the traffic congestion in the town.
The blind curve at Railway Quarters’ level may lead to accidents. The motorists coming from Alakananda Colony may hit the vehicles passing through the new bridge.
Several accidents took place at the starting point of the old bridge due to the blind curve. The extension of the bridge has further increased the chances of crashes occurring between the vehicles moving through this junction. Former civil aviation minister P. Ashok Gajapati Raju had suggested the R&B officials to make changes to avoid accidents.
