Demolition of the Vivekananda Road flyover in north-central Kolkata, a part of which had collapsed in March 2016, is set to be wrapped up in another two weeks, officials of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), the custodian of the structure, said.
The collapse of the flyover, which was under construction, led to 26 deaths.
The officials said they would invite engineers from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to repair some of the roads, which have remained out of bounds for commuters for almost a year because of demolition, once work was over.
The stretch of the flyover between Malapara and Posta will be pulled down in the final phase, officials said.
“All the deck slabs of the flyover have been demolished. There are nine girders in three spans, which need to be pulled down. We hope the work will be completed in another two weeks,” said an official of the CMDA, which has been overseeing the demolition job. “We will then invite CMC engineers to complete the repairing job so that some of the major roads can be opened to traffic.”
Since June last year, when work on pulling down the 2.2km-long flyover began, stretches of several roads in central and north Kolkata, including KK Tagore Street and Kalakar Street, have remained cordoned off. Traffic diversions have been in place since on multiple stretches.
“We expect to remove blockades from some of the main roads just around the time when Puja shopping is expected to peak in the Posta-Burrabazar belt, around the middle of September,” said a senior police officer. “Traffic in the north has been severely hit all these months because of road closures and diversions.”
With stretches of several roads either cordoned off or shut to traffic, buses and minibuses headed towards Shyambazar had to be diverted through Strand Road North, Nimtola Ghat Street and BK Pal Avenue to facilitate the demolition of the flyover.
Some of these key thoroughfares in the north will possibly get some relief once KK Tagore Street and Kalakar Street are completely opened to traffic, senior officers said.
“Once these roads are opened, the impact will be felt on other arteries, including parts of MG Road, Jadulal Mullick Road and Beadon Street. Hopefully, vehicles will then move faster.”
Opening some of the roads in the north, including KK Tagore Road, Nimtolla Ghat Street and Strand Road North, to traffic remains crucial since they comprise the”immersion corridor”. Hundreds of Durga puja organisers take these stretches to reach the Hooghly to immerse their idols.
Urban development department officials said a proposal to construct another flyover on Vivekananda Road would be taken up for discussion after the Puja. The state government has entrusted RITES, a consulting agency, to examine the feasibility of the project.