Severe traffic congestion was reported on National Highway 16 in Bhadrak on Thursday night (February 26, 2026), leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded for nearly eight hours.
The gridlock occurred beneath the Dhamara railway overbridge, severely affecting vehicular movement from Bhadrak towards Balasore. According to reports, vehicles began piling up around 11:00 pm, and the congestion continued well into the early hours.
A complete standstill developed on one side of the highway carriageway, creating long queues of trucks, buses, and private vehicles. Motorists heading towards Balasore were the worst affected, as traffic movement came to a near halt.
Officials attributed the disruption to a truck that broke down on the service road. The vehicle, reportedly heavily loaded, could not be immediately towed away. Its position obstructed lane movement, preventing vehicles from three lanes from crossing over and resulting in a bottleneck.
The situation was further aggravated by ongoing National Highway construction work in the area, which had already narrowed the usable portion of the road.
Bhadrak SDPO Sanatan Rout informed that the first traffic blockade had occurred around 9:00 pm and was temporarily cleared. However, another major jam developed around 2:00 am.
“A vehicle broke down on the service road and vehicles from three lanes could not cross over from there, causing the jam. The broken-down vehicle cannot be moved as it is loaded. It will be removed after repair. Our team is ensuring traffic clearance and assisting in the area,” he stated.
Personnel from the local Rural Police Station were deployed to manage the situation and restore normal traffic flow. Efforts were underway at the time of reporting to ease congestion and ensure smooth vehicular movement.
