RVNL wraps up phase 1 deck work for Orange Line at Chingrighata

Kolkata: Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) has started wrapping up work at Chingrighata after launching the entire 28 m concrete deck between two pillars so that the Ultadanga-bound flank can be handed over for traffic before 8 am on Monday.After a 15-month wait, RVNL, implementing the New Garia-Airport corridor or the Orange Line, completed lifting all 10 concrete segments comprising the 28m viaduct between piers 317 and 318. The most crucial part of phase I of the metro work atop Chingrighata crossing was done by Saturday night.Phase II work — lifting a 32-m concrete deck between piers 318 and 319 — will kick off next Friday, at 8 pm, and traffic will not be allowed on the Garia-bound flank of Chingrighata crossing till 8 am of the subsequent Monday. For 60 hours, traffic will be diverted through the 500 m road that RVNL has built. Police are trying to figure out how to avoid the extensive snarls that were seen last Friday evening during a similar traffic block.Between 7.55 pm on Friday and 8 pm on Saturday, RVNL placed four out of the 10 segments atop the Ultadanga-bound flank of the Chingrighata crossing and covered 11 m out of the targeted 28 m. By 9.20 pm, all 10 segments, eight of which weighed 60 tonnes each, and two weighing 40 tonnes each, were lifted. The next bit of work continued through Sunday night — aligning all 10 pieces, tying them with cables, sticking them with glue and the stressing method deployed to attach the segments. This was done by 12.30 pm on Sunday, following which, four hours were allowed for the glue to harden."There was a complete and strong viaduct launching. The traffic block helped avoid any untoward incident with cars and pedestrians," an official said.