Work begun to construct four bridges over the Sidhwan Canal on the Laddowal bypass here, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said.
It will help decongest massive traffic congestion in the busy South City area, which is becoming a hotspot for the food, recreation, and tourism industry.
The development assumes significance as the project was awaiting nod for the past some time and the Rajya Sabha MP from Ludhiana, Sanjeev Arora, had recently impressed upon NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav to accord green signal to the project.
Arora, who reviewed the progress of the NHAI project with Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik and the NHAI officials concerned, here, told The Tribune, on Tuesday that following the in-principle approval received from the NHAI headquarters in March, the local office has floated the tender inviting bids from interested firms to construct four bridges over the Sidhwan Canal at an estimated cost of Rs 19 crore.
He said nine bids had been received, which were being examined, and the most eligible one would be awarded the project within the next fortnight.
The MP said following the NHAI nod, a feasibility and alignment survey was conducted to prepare the detailed project report on the basis of which tenders were floated to award the work.
“The bridges would help decongest the south city area which is dotted with heavy traffic flow,” the Rajya Sabha MP said while adding that the project would also help improve road safety and convenience of commuters on national highways covered under the project.
Arora said the NHAI Chairman had kept his words of giving approval to the construction of the four bridges over the Sidhwan canal, which he had demanded during his recent meeting with him.
“I had apprised the NHAI Chairman that construction of the four bridges across the Sidhwan canal towards South City in Ludhiana was yet to see the light of day for which application was pending with the NHAI since long,” Arora said while thanking Yadav for approving the project.
He had informed the NHAI Chairman that Ludhiana being one of biggest industrial cities in the country with over 5 million population, the traffic situation was getting chaotic due to the pending projects.
The MP had requested him to direct the officials concerned to speed up the pending projects in and around Ludhiana.
While appreciating the work being done, he had drawn the NHAI Chairman’s attention towards the matters, which needed immediate intervention. He had told Yadav that the traffic situation within the MC limits of Ludhiana was in a bad shape on account of the ongoing NHAI projects passing through the city, causing a nightmare for commuters.
“Frequent and long traffic jams are making citizens lose their temper as it takes long time to commute between office and home,” the MP said while requesting the NHAI Chairman to take stock of the situation and take necessary initiatives for speedy work at the earliest possible to enable easing out of the traffic situation.
“All assurances of the NHAI Chairman have come true,” he said while recounting that the Sherpur Chowk railway over bridge (ROB) had already been opened for traffic in March after its construction was completed and the ongoing work on the elevated road project had been expedited to meet the completion target of June.
“Ludhiana residents had been raising a demand for the construction of the four bridges over the period of time and had been meeting him with this demand, which has been finally met,” the MP said.