The repair of cables beneath the deck slab of Vidyasagar Setu (second Hooghly bridge), which were deferred because of the festive season, are scheduled to start next week, officials of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) said on Tuesday.
“A lane on the Kolkata-bound flank of the bridge will remain shut for the next four months. Then a lane on the other flank will remain closed for another four months. Goods vehicles will be barred from the bridge for the entire duration of the repairs, stretching eight months,” said an official of HRBC, the custodian of the country’s longest cable-stayed bridge.
“We are ready with our men and machines. Work will start next week,” the official said.
“During our last interaction with the police, it was agreed that work would start on November 17. That has changed. We’ll inform them about the new date within a day or two so that they can re-issue the traffic advisory on diversions.”
A team of French experts has arrived to join structural engineers from the HRBC and the PWD to execute the work. “We don’t want any more delay in starting work,” the official said.
Originally, the repairs were to start in the first week of November and the police had drawn up a detailed diversion plan for goods vehicles.
“But it was deferred because of a series of events that were lined up, including Kali Puja, Chhath Puja, cricket World Cup and the Bengal Global Business Summit,” an HRBC official said.
Police officers said the intervening time was used to create “cut-outs”, through which vehicles can switch lanes on the bridge. Officers at Lalbazar said work on creating “cut-outs” would be over this week.
“We expect work to start next week. The traffic diversion plan is ready. We will once again announce that goods vehicles would be barred from the bridge during the repairs,” said an officer at Lalbazar.
Each flank of Vidyasagar Setu has three lanes.
Once work is on in one lane of the flank for Kolkata-bound vehicles, cars and other vehicles headed for the city will move through the remaining two lanes and one lane in the other flank.
“The same practice will be followed when work starts on the flank for Howrah-bound vehicles,” the officer said.
As part of the Rs 202-crore project, the 16 holding-down cables, which aren’t visible because they are beneath the deck slab, will be repaired and bearings and some of the cables on the top will be replaced.
Goods vehicles moving along AJC Bose Road from DL Khan Road and headed towards Vidyasagar Setu will be diverted towards Esplanade through Mayo Road for onward movement towards Shyambazar and Dunlop, officers said.
Vehicles headed towards the bridge from the port area will be diverted through Clyde Row and Strand Road for onward journey towards Dunlop, via Central Avenue. From Dunlop, the vehicles will enter Howrah through the Bally bridge.