High-level team inspects hazardous bridge
Berhampur: In a significant step towards restoring public confidence and ensuring commuter safety, an expert team of the State Works department arrived here on Thursday and conducted a comprehensive inspection of the accident-prone Haldiapadar Railway Overbridge (ROB).
The high-level team from Bhubaneswar, comprising four chief engineers along with designers and technical experts, initiated a detailed technical survey of the structure. The members said that the assessment would take time and any structural or geometric shortcomings, if detected, would be rectified. A final report will be submitted to the State government after the completion of the study.
According to the officials, the team will examine the bridge geometry in accordance with the guidelines of the Indian Road Congress. The study will include a thorough traffic survey, traffic flow analysis and a traffic safety audit. After the preliminary assessment, consultations with specialised experts will be undertaken, and if required, technical opinions from experts outside Odisha may also be sought before arriving at a final decision.
“The State government has deputed us to make the Haldiapadar ROB a safe corridor. Public safety is our foremost concern,” said a team member. Constructed around 2013 to ease congestion across the busy railway crossing near Berhampur, the overbridge has in recent years drawn severe public criticism following a series of tragic accidents that have reportedly claimed more than 20 lives.
What was envisioned as a symbol of urban mobility has gradually come to be viewed by residents as a passage of peril.
Daily commuters allege that abrupt gradients, sharp curves, narrow carriage width and inadequate visibility at critical turning points have turned the stretch into a high-risk zone, especially under heavy vehicular pressure.
Taking serious note of the recurring fatalities, the Supreme Court–appointed Road Safety Committee has sought a detailed report from the State government. The panel has directed authorities to submit a comprehensive status report by March 5, outlining the causes of accidents, structural or operational deficiencies, and both immediate and long-term corrective measures.
The committee has also stressed strict enforcement against over-speeding, wrong-side driving and other traffic violations, while urging improvement in engineering safety, signage and traffic management at the vulnerable overbridge.
With expert scrutiny now underway, citizens hope that the troubled Haldiapadar ROB will soon shed its grim reputation and emerge as a safer lifeline for the city.
