The Taratala flyover is out of bounds for heavy vehicles, including buses and trucks, till further orders following detection of some “defects” on the deck slab.
A notification issued a few days back by police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal said movement of heavy vehicles on both flanks of the flyover would remain suspended “until further order”.
The order says a technical committee of the PWD has noticed "some defects" on the deck slab of the flyover "during inspection". Movement of heavy vehicles has been banned on the flyover, the notification says, for "preventing danger... to the public".
The Taratala flyover was among the few flyovers in the city where heavy vehicles were allowed.
"Buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles will ply down Diamond Harbour Road, under the flyover. This diversion will continue till the PWD says the flyover is fit to bear the load of heavy vehicles," said a police officer.
"There is no ban on the movement of small vehicles, including cars, on the flyover.”
Opened in February 2006, the Taratala flyover stretches between a spot in front of the mint and a spot near Ajanta cinema on Diamond Harbour Road and runs over the perennially busy Taratala intersection.
The PWD has been responsible for the maintenance of the 551-metre, four-lane flyover since its inauguration.
"The technical committee has proposed certain measures to increase the longevity of the structure in consultation with structural experts from IIT Roorkee," said a PWD official.
"The restriction on the movement of heavy vehicles will help us assess the exact condition of the structure before drawing up a detailed blueprint of repair."
The flyover has been bearing the load of heavy goods vehicles, particularly the ones from Budge Budge and its adjoining areas, for quite some time, resulting in some wear and tear, said a PWD engineer.
Senior engineers of the department said the rubber capping of the majority of the flyover's bearings have hardened over time, leaving them incapable of smooth movements.
"The bearings transfer forces from the superstructure of the bridge to the substructure," said an engineer. "In a flyover, vertical loads such as the weight of the structure and vehicles get transmitted to the substructure through the bearings. If they wear out, the process gets hampered."
The Taratala flyover has been under the scanner of structural experts for some time. In 2019, the PWD had shredded several inches of bitumen and concrete layer from the carriageway to reduce its weight and increase its longevity.
“The concrete structure will also be scanned for micro-pores and the expansion joints will be assessed,” an engineer said.
“The idea behind the exercise is to increase the structure’s life by several years after a thorough overhauling.”