KOLKATA: The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), which had planned to open the canal bridge at Karunamoyee over Tolly’s Nullah on Tuesday, has deferred it for a day. KMDA officials said the bituminous concrete laying work on the bridge was yet to be completed and would need time to be inspected.
“The bituminous concrete laying work will be carried out from Monday night till Tuesday afternoon, after which a final inspection will be carried out before the bridge is opened to traffic movement. As of now, the bridge is likely to be opened on Wednesday,” said an official.
Work has been going on in full swing on the canal bridge on Izzatullah Lane and the Bailey bridge at Lake Town too. Both are expected to be completed by Saturday and will be opened thereafter. The KMC is assisting the KMDA in setting up these
bridges
.
Repair work on Chetla Lock Gate bridge is also going on, with the authorities expecting to finish by Saturday. Officials and bridge experts will inspect the progress in the next few days. “We are repairing the bridge in such a manner that light vehicles can continue using it for at least another six months,” said a KMDA official.
It was after the collapse of Majerhat bridge that KMDA had come up with the plan to set up the two canal bridges at Karunamoyee and Izzatullah Lane. With a surge of vehicular traffic likely around
Behala
, Sakherbazar and
New Alipore
during the Pujas, the authorities decided to undertake urgent repair of Chetla Lock Gate bridge.
The police said they will be using the new bridge to divert smaller vehicles coming from Behala Chowrasta, Sakherbazar via Raja Santosh Roy Road and Biren Roy Road (East) and those coming from Mahabirtala via B L Saha Road. “This will not only help decongest the Karunamoyee crossing, which handles multiple Pujas, and the approach to Diamond City West, but also ensure that pressure is taken off Karunamoyee bridge,” an officer said.
However, the portion of Karunamoyee bridge that is the worst affected — the Haridevpur-bound flank — will not get much respite.
“We are confident that cars from B L Saha Road, Rammohan Roy Road and Biren Roy Road (East) can be diverted towards
Tollygunge
Metro, which will allow us some respite in the morning. We might try and carve out an extra lane towards Behala on an experimental basis,” said a traffic officer.
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