Ranchi to have three foot overbridges by next year

Ranchi: Two new foot overbridges (FOB), besides one that was unveiled in November, are set to come up in Ranchi next year in a bid to improve pedestrian safety and ease traffic movement across key intersections of the city, officials here said.The Jharkhand Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (JUIDCO) had in November unveiled the design of its circular FOB at Albert Ekka Chowk on Main Road. With the work on the Rs 18 crore project about to begin, plans have been drawn up for commissioning two new FOBs and overhauling an existing one.The state urban development department, replying to a question in the winter session of the state assembly, said it has plans to build an FOB near Nucleus Mall which sits next to the intersection of Circular Road and East Jail Road. A sum of Rs 4.9 crore will be spent on the project. Another FOB is being planned on Kishoreganj Chowk on Harmu Road. The existing FOB on Main Road near GEL Church Complex is also set to get a facelift as JUIDCO plans its repairs at a cost of Rs 3 crore. That apart, two pairs of escalators are also to be commissioned on both ends of the FOB.“Work orders for the FOB near Nucleus Mall and the overhauling of the existing FOB near GEL Church Complex have been awarded to a West Bengal-based company. The work on these projects will begin very soon. These projects will take anywhere between four to six months to complete,” Ashutosh Kumar Singh, public relations officer of JUIDCO, said.However, JUIDCO officials are holding off the proposed FOB at Kishoreganj Chowk as it is keeping an eye on the road construction department’s future move on the proposed Harmu Flyover, which is awaiting the Raj Bhavan’s nod. “The Nucleus Mall intersection is witnessing heavy traffic congestion due to illegal parking and street vendors. Pedestrians often cross the road amid heavy traffic. An FOB will be a welcome step,” Anand said.