Traffic along both flanks of the southern section of EM Bypass will be diverted for six hours from 10pm on Saturday till 4am on Sunday to make way for installing a 45m-long foot overbridge across the thoroughfare in Ghoshpara, near Patuli.
The CMDA, which is in charge of the project, will deploy cranes and machinery at the site to set up the foot overbridge. “We have worked out a diversion plan for vehicles to facilitate the work of installing the foot overbridge,” said an officer.
Here’s the diversion plan.
Vehicles from south
- Heavy vehicles headed for the Ruby hospital intersection from south will be diverted from the Patuli crossing. The vehicles will move through the Baishnabghata-Patuli connector, Raja SC Mallick Road and the Prince Anwar Shah Road connector (via Sulekha More) to reach the Bypass again.
- Small vehicles, including cars, headed towards Ruby from south will move along the Baishnabghata-Patuli connector to reach Patuli “I” Block Road, from where it will move towards Bypass via Molla Road.
Vehicles from north
- Heavy vehicles headed towards Garia from north will be diverted from the Avishikta crossing of EM Bypass towards the Prince Anwar Shah Road connector.
The vehicles will then move along Raja SC Mallick Road and the Baishnabghata-Patuli connector to reach the Bypass again.
- Ambulances and smaller vehicles headed towardsGaria can move throughthe cut-out for Peerless Hospital and travel throughPanchasayar Road and Garia Station Road to reach theBypass again, via Dhalai bridge, a senior police officer said.
- Alternatively, smaller vehicles headed towards Garia can enter Santoshpur Avenue from the Ajaynagar crossing and move through Raja SC Mallik Road and the Baishnabghata-Patuli connector to reach the Bypass.
Ghoshpara, near theerstwhile floating market in Patuli, has a waterbody onone side of the Bypass and a residential area on the other side.
For years, it has remained a problem area for the traffic police because of the number of accidents the spot has witnessed.
The police said the majority of the accidents werecaused by pedestrians trying to cross the busy thoroughfare.
“Since most of the accidents were because of indiscriminate pedestrian crossover at Ghoshpara, the median divider on the Bypass there was covered on both sides. Still, a few pedestrians attempted to scale the barrier to get on the other flank of the Bypass,” a senior police officer said.
The police realised thatthe challenges at Ghoshpara were almost similar to thatof the Chingrighata crossing on EM Bypass, where anumber of fatal accidentshave occurred because ofpedestrians walking across the Bypass in violation of rules.
“At Chingrighata, pedestrians cross the Bypass to fetch drinking water or on theirway to work. At Ghoshpara, people just want to reach the other side of the road without taking a long detour,” the officer said.
A few years back when discussions were goingon with the urban development department about the Chingrighata crossingand its challenges, the police had proposed setting up ofa foot overbridge at Ghosh-para.
The bridge, which has been constructed in pieces, will have a slope allowing cyclists to use the facility, CMDA engineers said.