Heavy and medium goods vehicles headed for Vidyasagar Setu (second Hooghly bridge) will be diverted along different routes beginning 10pm on Tuesday to make way for the repair of the bridge, police said.
The work will begin blocking two lanes of the Howrah-bound flank of the bridge and is likely to last for four months.
This will be followed by a similar exercise on the Calcutta-bound flank.
“We will start a trial beginning Tuesday and there will be a gradual transition to the real diversion over a while,” a senior police officer said.
“We are terming this as a trial because the lanes have been now covered with guardrails. These will be replaced by permanent barricades for the entire duration of work.”
There are three lanes on each of the two flanks of the bridge, one bound for Howrah and the other for Calcutta.
Beginning Tuesday night, two of the three lanes of the Howrah-bound flank will be shut. Vehicles headed towards Howrah will be allowed the third lane and one lane from the other flank.
Senior officials of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) — the body that maintains the bridge — said the structure is built with 152 cables. Two sets of pylons at two ends — with their foundations underwater — hold an additional set of 16 cables, which are known as holding down cables.
“The first phase of the work will involve replacing these holding down cables,” said a HRBC official.
The diversion plan for heavy and medium goods vehicles involves routing most of the bridge-bound vehicles down Central Avenue and BT Road towards Dunlop before they reach Nivedita Setu.
Heavy and medium goods vehicles moving along AJC Bose Road from DL Khan Road and Presidency Correctional Home and headed towards the bridge will be diverted towards Esplanade down Mayo Road towards Shyambazar, Tallah bridge and Dunlop.
Similar types of vehicles coming from the Port area and headed towards the Setu will be diverted through Clyde Row and Strand Road, towards Central Avenue to moving further north through Shyambazar towards Dunlop, a senior officer responsible for drawing up the diversion plan and identifying the routes said.