Ultadanga flyover’s Bypass flank to stay shut at least for 15 days

KOLKATA: The EM Bypass-bound flank of Ultadanga flyover will not open to traffic movement in at least next 15 days, a Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) official said after a day-long meeting at the agency headquarter in Salt Lake on Friday.

The decision to reopen the flyover for normal traffic movement will be taken only after the cracks are completely repaired and the state-appointed advisory committee — comprising bridge and flyover experts — deems it fit to bear vehicular load. “The safety of commuters is of utmost importance. We don’t want to take any chance and would open the EM Bypass-bound flank of the flyover only after a thorough repair and load-bearing-capacity check,” said the official.
The Lake Town-bound flank of the 1.29km-long flyover was reopened around 10pm on Thursday, more than 48 hours after the entire stretch was closed to traffic following the detection of cracks on a span of the flyover that had collapsed in 2013 and was repaired in a year.
Meanwhile, traffic movement in and around Ultadanga eased a bit on Friday compared to what it had been over the past three days. Since the airport-bound flank of the flyover was shut on Wednesday and Thursday, traffic movement came to a halt and the snarl had extended to as far as Chingrighata crossing. However, snarls started to ease on EM Bypass after the airport-bound flank was opened late on Thursday. Chingrighata-bound vehicles were, however, routed through the slip bridge and Canal Road to reach EM Bypass.
“We had a smooth ride towards the airport on Friday even during the peak hour. It had been harrowing on Wednesday and Thursday,” said Jayanta Chowdhury, a Golpark resident.
The cops, too, lifted most of the diversions, including suspension of Salt Lake-bound traffic from Hudco crossing along First Avenue and Second Avenue. “We have opened the crossover junction at Hudco crossing, allowing vehicles from Salt Lake to head towards Ultadanga crossing. However, the one-way restriction on Canal Road is still there,” said a senior officer of Bidhannagar Commissionerate’s traffic department.
The lifting of the one-way restriction on Salt Lake roads also meant relief for daily commuters who were being forced to pay double the fare for an auto ride between Salt Lake and Ultadanga. “For the last two days, we were forced to take a 2.5km detour via Duttabad, Bengal Chemicals and the narrow road beside ESI Hospital to reach Ultadanga. We were forced to charge the commuters extra as we had to spend over half an hour in traffic jam. But on Friday, we stuck to the original fare,” said Pradip Mondal, an auto driver of Salt Lake-Ultadanga route.