Portion of flyover on NH-16 caves in posing threat to commuters

A portion of a flyover on National Highway-16 near Aradi in Bhadrak caved in on Tuesday.

As per reports, the collapsed portion was first seen by some locals on Tuesday morning after which, they alerted the Highway Patrol which arrived at the spot.

They marked the spot with tree branches to warn incoming traffic about the danger ahead.

Thankfully the collapsed portion was on the shoulder of the flyover.

Locals expressed their resentment over the construction of the flyover and carpeting of the highway.

“This is a 20-ft wide sinkhole. Anybody who parks near it will fall. Politicians should do something about it. I urge the local MP to raise this issue in the Parliament and take action against the people responsible for this,” said Bidyadhar Jena, a local resident.

Earlier in the day, a span of a bridge on the same National Highway-16 connecting Chennai and Kolkata sank near Rasulpur block in Jajpur district. Fortunately, no vehicle was plying at that time. So no injury was reported. Vehicular movement was immediately suspended on the road.

On being informed, Kuakhia police reached the spot and streamlined the traffic. They diverted hundreds of stranded vehicles to decongest the traffic on the stretch. The affected stretch has now been barricaded to avoid mishap.