The new Bailey bridge and the level crossing were tested before being inaugurated in the presence of senior TMC leaders and top Kolkata Police officers.
Thirty-eight days after the Majerhat bridge in Kolkata collapsed, an alternate route was made for the people on Friday.
The new Bailey bridge and the level crossing were tested before being inaugurated in the presence of senior TMC leaders and top Kolkata Police officers.
The new route will facilitate traffic movement from New Alipore's G Block to Taratala area of the south Kolkata neighbourhood. Traffic cops said that vehicles from New Alipore's Humayun Kabir Sarani or NR Avenue would take this route, cross the level crossing, and would reach Mominpur or Esplanade areas then via Alipore Avenue and Raja Santosh Road.
The vehicles on this route were compelled to take a roundabout route so far. For the time, the new route will be one-way; soon a decision on two-way movement of vehicles would be made. It is also expected that traffic logjam in the area, caused by the bridge collapse, would be brought down and the pressure on Durgapur bridge owing to traffic diversion would also lessen.
The Bailey bridge, supplied and erected by Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd, is 80-feet long and 4.25 m in breadth. The bridge has cost the Public Works Department Rs 21 crore and its capacity is 70 tonne. Although sources said that the bridge has the capacity to withstand heavy vehicles, traffic cops said only two and four wheelers would be allowed for the time being.
The alternate route has, however, taken a toll on train movement. From Saturday alone, 18 trains in the Budge Budge–Sealdah section have been cancelled. Many others have been rescheduled as well.
Inaugurating the new route, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim, said, "We thank our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Only this government could have achieved something like this. Also PWD Minister Arup Biswas had been monitoring the work very closely. People of Cheltla and Behala areas would be immensely benefitting of this alternate route," he said.
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