Night traffic will not be allowed on the AJC Bose Road flyover till March 2 dawn. The restrictions, in place since February 26 for an inspection, will apply between 10pm and 6am each night.
Engineers of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners, which maintains the 3km-long flyover that was inaugurated in 2003, said some of the key components of the structure needed a thorough examination.
At night, vehicles bound for the flyover are being diverted through AJC Bose Road. Traffic guards have been asked to ensure guardrails are placed on either side of the flyover so no vehicle could ply through it during the inspection.
The assessment of the key components will give engineers an idea of the load-bearing capacity of the flyover, which connects the Park Circus seven-point crossing with the racecourse, and help them draw up a plan for renovation and repairs.
“The night traffic load is manageable till now because of the night curfew. Adequate measures will be in place to inform motorists about the closure of the flyover at night,” said an officer of Kolkata police.
“The number of vehicles using the AJC Bose Road flyover has gone up several times since it was connected to the Parama flyover in 2019. The vehicle count will go up even further over the next five years and there is an immediate need to assess the impact-load on the structure,” said an engineer of the HRBC.
Engineers said they would conduct two types of tests on the bridge — static and dynamic. The results will be collated and experts will analyse them to determine the structural stability of the bridge.
In the static test, engineers will find out the horizontal pressure of wind that tries to push the bridge sideways. The dynamic test will measure how the bridge oscillates under the impact of the vertical wind pressure.
“The tests were necessary to find out whether the bridge needed an overhauling or cosmetic repairs will be enough to increase its lifespan,” the engineer said.