The service roads on either side of the new Tallah bridge — at the Chiria More-end and the Shyambazar-end — will be ready by December 25, senior officials of the public works department (PWD) said on Wednesday.
Once ready, a section of local residents will be able to drive down these roads to reach their homes avoiding the circuitous route that they are now forced to take.
“One has to now cross at least six lanes to reach BT Road down Raja Manindra Road because the service road adjoining the Tallah bridge at the Chiria-More-end is not ready as yet,” said Tarun Saha, borough chairman of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), covering parts of Tallah and Belgachia in the north.
“It is vital that the service roads are ready as early as possible for a large section of residents of Tallah and Belgachia. The borough office on one of the service roads remains inaccessible for many now.”
Apart from the section atop the railway tracks, the new Tallah bridge has four service roads — two on each end. Over two years since the construction of the Tallah bridge began, residents dotting the area around the Tallah pumping station, Paikpara, Gopal Mukherjee Road and Raja Manindra Road have been forced to take a long-winding route to reach BT Road.
The service roads were dug up and inaccessible. Residents of several houses and apartments dotting the service roads had stopped bringing out their cars to avoid the detour. PWD engineers said the service roads had to be dug up to shift underground utilities, including electric cables and water pipes, and later relayed.
“Just a small bit of underground drainage work remains incomplete. We will wrap it up soon before taking up the work of finishing the underground surface of the service roads,” said a senior PWD official.
“We hope all four service roads will be ready by December 25.”