The state government is mulling a new flyover on Vivekananda Road in north Kolkata after the remains of the earlier one, a part of which had collapsed in 2016, are pulled down.
The railways’ consulting arm, RITES, has been commissioned to draw up a detailed project report of the flyover.
“It has been principally decided that there will be a flyover. The agency will submit its report to the KMDA,” Chandrima Bhattacharya, minister for urban development and municipal affairs, said.
Senior officials of Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) said RITES had started preliminary work.
“After analysing the feasibility of the project, the consultants will carry out two basic activities - study the proposed alignment and work out details of the proposed structure, elevation and the design," said a KMDA official.
“A team from RITES has started testing soil in parts of Posta and Vivekananda Road. It will gradually move to other areas.”
The exact length of the proposed four-lane flyover has not been finalised yet. Officials said the plan involved connecting Posta with Ultadanga over parts of Vivekananda Road, Maniktala and Kankurgachhi.
“The incomplete flyover that collapsed was 2.2km long. We want the new one to be longer,” said an urban development department official. “Finally, the project cost will decide the fate of the project.”
The idea to construct a flyover on Vivekananda Road had surfaced in August when the state government decided to revive some of the old proposals for infrastructure development in Kolkata, including flyovers connecting Jadavpur police station to Lords Bakery, EM Bypass to New Town, Garia to Jadavpur and Jadavpur to Majerhat.
Senior officials said the survey for the new flyover on Vivekananda Road found momentum ever since work of pulling down the existing one found pace.
On Thursday, KMDA engineers said the third phase of the demolition work, between Ganesh Talkies and Kalakar Street, would begin in January.
Over the next two weeks, work on shifting a few parking lots in Ganesh Talkies and creating necessary ground for mounting machines will be completed before police are called in for the final clearance, officials said.
“The second phase is nearing completion. We want the work for the third to be over by March,” said a senior KMDA official overseeing the entire work of pulling down the flyover.
A senior police officer at Lalbazar said demolition in the third phase would necessitate a string of traffic diversions.