Kolkata: KMDA selects three agencies to assess stability of six flyovers

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) is all set to start structural condition assessment and preparing detailed project reports for the repair of six bridges — Ultadanga flyover, Chingrighata flyover, Sealdah flyover, Baghajatin flyover, Bankim Setu and Kalighat bridge — from the end of this month. According to sources, three consulting agencies have been selected to survey two flyovers each.

“The three selected agencies will need to submit their study report to the state-appointed five-member advisory committee within two months from the date of starting the survey,” an official said.


According to officials, the health audit and structural stability study of the flyovers will be carried out using advanced technology. “There is a cuttingage electro-magnetic resolution technology with which the structural defects and faults of any elevated structure can be detected,” an official said.

Earlier, two other flyovers — Aurobindo Setu and Bijan Setu — were also listed for structural assessment in the first phase, but were removed from the list as the authorities have already initiated the process to select a consulting agency for them.

It was after the collapse of Majerhat bridge last September that the KMDA decided to conduct structural condition assessment to detect if there were any faults in the flyovers and bridges maintained by it. Urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim visited some of the flyovers for a physical inspection and it was decided that several of them needed urgent repairs.