With the inauguration of Srimandir Parikrama Project on Wednesday, the pilgrim town of Puri will get Odisha’s first trumpet bridge, Shree Setu too.
The newly-built 'Shree Setu' (trumpet bridge), a 1.5-kilometre bypass stretch, would now allow vehicles coming from Bhubaneswar and Brahmagiri to directly reach a multi-level parking spot at Jagannath Ballav. It has been built to facilitate travellers visiting the temple without entering the city while reducing travel time to the 12th-century shrine by up to an hour.
The 60-metre-wide bow-shaped bridge connects four lanes of roads and has been built on 37 acres of land. It is constructed at an expense of Rs 161 crore. The first bridge is over the Mangalahat-Birharekrishnapur bypass while another is over the Mangalahat-Devighat road. While one bridge will be used to make entry, the other one will be used to exit the town.
The Jagannath Ballav parking place has been redeveloped to accommodate 1600 vehicles. Visitors coming to Srimandir will park here and move to Srimandir from there. A gate is built to welcome the devotees entering Puri through Shree Setu and a View Tower is being constructed where tourists can get a glimpse of the entire city.
Shree Setu is a part of Jagannath Heritage Corridor project which will be inaugurated today.
The ‘Purnahuti’ of the ongoing Maha Yajna preceding the inauguration of the Srimadir Parikrama project in Puri will end today. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the project on the auspicious moment between 1.15 pm and 1.30 pm.