A second Bailey bridge on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road near Shiv Mandir was inaugurated by cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi late Friday evening, bringing much-needed relief to residents and tourists who had endured severe traffic jams for the past seven months due to one-way traffic movement at the site.
Sanjay Aggarwal, president of the Mussoorie Hotels Association, expressed his relief, stating, "This will provide much needed relief to residents, and with the tourist season underway, it will help alleviate traffic congestion significantly."
Residents recalled the ordeal of long jams at the site. "We were caught up for several hours at this site, and on days of tourist rush, it took up to three hours to travel from Mussoorie to Dehradun," said a local resident.
PWD officials confirmed that traffic movement on the new bridge began on Saturday. Assistant engineer Pradeep Shahi noted, "We had allowed small vehicles on Friday evening, and full traffic has started today. However, heavy vehicles will not be permitted on this bridge."
The original bridge was washed away during the September 16 disaster last year. A temporary Bailey bridge was erected, allowing only one-way traffic, which led to chronic jams, especially during tourist rush. PWD officials announced that a permanent bridge is planned at a cost of Rs 12 crore, with construction expected to begin soon.
