A new two-lane bridge is set to come up right next to the busy Ojhla bridge in Mirzapur, aimed at ending the recurring traffic jams that pilgrims heading to the Maa Vindhyavasini Dham temple face every day. The Public Works Department has drawn up a formal proposal and sent it to the Uttar Pradesh government, and construction is expected to begin as soon as approval comes through.
Why a new bridge is needed
The existing bridge at Ojhla in Mirzapur district is the main route devotees use to reach the Maa Vindhyavasini Dham, which connects to the Shastri Setu. A large number of pilgrims cross it every day, and whenever footfall rises, the single-lane structure becomes a bottleneck and traffic grinds to a halt. To fix this, the Public Works Department prepared a proposal and forwarded it to the state government. Construction work will start the moment the project gets the green light.
A 500-metre bridge for around Rs 20 crore
The new structure has been proposed right beside the historic Ojhla bridge and will stretch about 500 metres with two lanes. It is expected to cost roughly Rs 20 crore. The proposal has already been finalised by the Public Works Department and is now sitting with the state government, awaiting the final decision.
The biggest relief for pilgrims from Purvanchal
Most of the devotees who cross the Ojhla bridge to reach Maa Vindhyavasini Dham travel in from Purvanchal districts such as Varanasi, Ballia, Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Azamgarh. Many take the Prayagraj-Varanasi road, then move via the Aurai-Mirzapur route before reaching the dham for darshan. With such large numbers converging from across the region, a single-lane bridge has repeatedly proven too narrow to handle the load.
Navratri makes the jams even worse
The pressure on the bridge multiplies during Navratri and other special occasions, when the narrow structure struggles to cope and jams stretch on for hours, leaving pilgrims stranded. That is precisely why the Public Works Department pushed the proposal to relieve congestion. Once the new bridge comes up, the existing single-lane crossing will effectively turn into a two-lane one, easing movement and putting an end to the jam problem altogether.
Locals are hopeful too
Local resident Rajkumar Upadhyay said, "Once a two-lane bridge is built parallel to the existing one, the traffic jam problem will be completely resolved." He added that travel would become far easier and that pilgrims arriving from across Purvanchal stand to benefit significantly, calling the government's initiative highly commendable. The project is now awaiting approval from the state government, and officials are hopeful it will come through soon, after which construction work can begin.
