Key Bypass stretch near Ruby crossing reopens after 3yrs

Kolkata: A crucial EM

Bypass

stretch near the

Ruby

crossing was reopened on Monday morning after three years.

The 225m stretch on the Ruby-bound flank on EM

Bypass

was closed for construction of

Hemanta

Mukherjee

station

of the New Garia-Airport Metro corridor. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (

RVNL

), implementing agency of the Metro corridor, would have thrown the section open in March, but failed to do so because of a scaffolding around a

pier

of the station was still needed.

“The stretch couldn’t be opened because there was a scaffolding around a pier ahead of the closed stretch,” a KMDA official told TOI on Monday. Both Kolkata Police and KMDA, custodian of EM Bypass, had insisted that the scaffolding should go or it would pose a risk for motorists if vehicles were allowed to ply near it. Finally, over the last one week, RVNL took off the scaffolding around Pier 144 and the 12m-wide section around it was freed and the 225m stretch could be reopened. Cars and buses started plying below the Metro station from 11am on Monday.

“The effect of the reopening will be felt once there is more traffic and the Covid-19 scare is over,” a traffic department official from the Kasba traffic guard said.

The closure of the stretch had made traffic snarls on the flank a regular affair and negotiating the Ruby

crossing

during rush hours, especially the evenings, had become a nightmare. Vehicles were forced to slow down before the closed stretch and abruptly change the direction and turn left as they neared the spot. This led to prolonged traffic snarls, especially during morning and evening rush hours.

KMDA officials said RVNL had initially promised to open the stretch a year after its closure and then in March, this year. An RVNL official explained, “We had to keep the scaffolding around Pier 144 because IIT-Kharagpur was studying the 50m span of the elevated viaduct along the station. The study is still on, but considering the inconvenience of commuters, we decided to free the crossing.”

RVNL has paved the stretch with bitumen and fitted lamps below the station so that there is enough light at night. The parallel stretch on which cars plying all this time will now be turned into a green verge, with a cycle track and a service line.


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