The opening of the ESS Sector bypass road has come as a huge relief to the people of Itanagar. This road had been closed since 2018 after a portion of a culvert caved in. The PWD constructed a protection wall-cum-culvert to reopen the road to traffic. The work quality has been appreciated by everyone. This is a major milestone and will immensely help to reduce traffic congestion on NH 415. The state government should identify more such alternative roads in order to further decongest the national highway.
In Naharlagun two bridges have been proposed over the Pachin river to ease traffic congestion. The first bridge will connect Borum directly to the Naharlagun helipad, and the other one will connect the Yupia railway station with Lekhi. The works on these two bridges were supposed to be completed by May this year. However, there is no update. The Borum bridge is being constructed by the PWD’s Naharlagun division, and the other one, in Lekhi, is funded by the railways ministry. The state government should follow up and let the people know about the status of these two important projects. Once completed, both the bridges will drastically ease traffic congestion on NH 415 in Naharlagun. At present the residents of Naharlagun constantly have to face harrowing traffic jams. Also, the condition of the Barapani bridge over the Pachin is deteriorating day by day. There is an urgent need for an alternative route to ease the load on the Barapani bridge.