Orange Line: RVNL to build another road along Salt Lake Bypass

Kolkata: RVNL will have to build another road for a couple of traffic diversions while concrete decks are placed between some of the piers standing on the eastern side of the Chingrighata crossing.An inspection was conducted on Friday by Kolkata Police and Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which is implementing the Orange Line or the New Garia-Airport corridor. The stakeholders decided that a new road is to be built along the canal passing through Salt Lake Bypass to bridge the 366m Orange Line gap at Chingrighata.Traffic is currently being diverted through another 500m road built by RVNL at Majherpara opposite Captain Bheri. The diversion is required for building concrete decks between piers 318 and 319. Last weekend, a 28m deck was placed between piers 317 and 318. Currently, work is on filling a 366m viaduct gap between 12 piers from P317 to P329. The most elaborate traffic block involves the current shutting of the Chingrighata crossing in two phases, phase II of which began on Friday night.After launching girders atop the Chingrighata crossing, the 500MT launcher will move to the next pillars, till the last one, 329, is reached, linking Gour Kishore Ghosh, the metro station between Chingrighata crossing and Nicco Park.A new 60m-long road on the banks of the canal passing through the Salt Lake Bypass will have to be built, near the point where the Chingrighata flyover slopes down for traffic use while concrete girders are launched between 326, 327, 328 and 329. Work to build the road will begin next week even as the traffic diversions on Salt Lake Bypass may be needed in June or July.In the phase II work, which ends on Monday morning, 12 concrete segments will be placed to make a 34m deck. The segments weigh between 40 and 56MT.After being stalled for 18 months at Chingrighata on EM Bypass, the 500MT girder launcher — which lifts and places concrete blocks to build the viaduct (on which tracks are laid) — the Orange Line work is advancing with the most work to fill the 366m viaduct at Chingrighata. A 60-hour traffic block was issued by Kolkata Police last weekend for RVNL to launch a 28m concrete deck between pillars 317 and 318. On Friday, another 60-hour traffic block was enforced to build a deck between piers 318 and 319 atop the eastern flank of the congested crossing. This time, a 34m deck is being built between piers 318 and 319.When the crucial 366m gap work at Chingrighata is over, the Orange Line's Beleghata (Metropolitan)-New Garia section will reach Sector V, with a predicted target of early 2027.