Cut travel time by half, take new Maa ramp to cover Bypass-Race Course link in 15 minutes

KOLKATA: Travelling from the city's eastern fringes to the central business district will now be without hiccup. The inauguration of the 1 km long arm connecting Park Circus-bound flank of Maa flyover to Race Course bound flank of AJC Bose Road flyover on Friday evening by chief minister Mamata Banerjee will enable motorists and commuters to avoid traffic snarls at Park Circus seven-point crossing and Circus Avenue, saving 10-20 minutes travel time depending on the hour of travel.

The linking of the two flyovers, constructed a decade apart, will bridge the gap between localities in east like New Town, Salt Lake, Lake Town, Bangur and Baguiati with Race Course, Alipore, Park Street, BBD Bag and Esplanade. The arm in the reverse direction was completed over a year ago and had made life a breeze for motorists headed to EM Bypass from Race Course.

“This new ramp will ease traffic congestion at Park Circus crossing. RITES has been engaged to conduct a feasibility study for another ramp towards Ballygunge Phari,” the chief minister said, outlining another plan for a flyover project that has been underway since 2010.

Before the ramp was open, it used to take around 25-30 mins in lean hours and about 45-50 mins in peak rush hours to travel from Science City to Race Course. With the new ramp now opened to traffic, it can potentially reduce commute time by half. There is, however, some concern over the dispersal at the Race Course end given that some traffic earlier took Park Street prior to 1 pm and Theatre Road after that while heading to Chowringhee. Now, even these motorists will tend to take the arm and continue travelling on the elevated corridor.

Commuters who travel on the stretch daily are delighted. They have been looking forward to the inauguration and can't wait to take the link arm on Saturday. “It will not just make life simple for traffic bound for the city centre, the decongestion of Park Circus seven point crossing will help motorists heading to and from Garihat, Park Street and elsewhere," said biker Uday Roy.

The next date will be for the reopning of the EM Bypass-bound Maa flyover ramp from Park Circus that has been kept shut during the day ever since the flyover was opened three years ago. With the twin arms now open, police believe it is just a matter of time before the ramp is opened to EM Bypass-bound traffic during the day. Currently, it is used in that direction between 10 pm and 9 am and thereafter, used by Park Circus-bound vehicles that switch over to the flank through a break in the median divider.