Twenty-three minutes, saved by a 650m-long bridge.

The difference between two car rides from Taratala to Esplanade — one via the Bailey bridge in Alipore on Thursday and the other via the Majerhat (Jai Hind) bridge on Friday — was 23 minutes.

The Telegraph took the car rides through the morning rush. The wait at the signals at the busy intersections was almost the same on both days, barring a few extra minutes at the Bailey bridge because of the passage of a freight train.

Friday

Taratala to Esplanade via the Majerhat bridge (around 8km): 10am to 10.42am

⚫Taratala to the Majerhat bridge: 5 minutes

Traffic movement was reasonably slow on the Taratala flyover because police stopped cars whenever the tail of vehicles on the Majerhat bridge grew long

⚫The Majerhat bridge to Ekbalpore: 11 minutes

The Mominpore-bound flank of the bridge had bumper-to-bumper traffic. But vehicles kept moving. Occasionally, a phone in an outstretched arm was recording the journey.

The load of vehicles on the Taratala-bound flank was much lighter. During the descent towards Mominpore, the cars came to a complete halt for the first time. The snarl got moving within a couple of minutes. For probably the first time in two years, the stretch of Diamond Harbour Road in Mominpore was chock-a-block with traffic.

Since a bulk of the traffic on the stretch came from Majerhat, it had remained relatively deserted since the collapse of the bridge.

⚫Ekbalpore to police training school: 10 minutes

Of which, around seven minutes were spent at the traffic signals at Ekbalpore and Alipore zoo.

⚫PTS to Fort William: 9 minutes

⚫Fort William to Esplanade: 7 minutes

⚫Total time taken: 42 minutes

The plaque at the Taratala end of the new flyover Bishwarup Dutta

Thursday

Taratala to Esplanade via Bailey bridge (around 9km): 10am to 11.05am

⚫Taratala to Bailey bridge signal: 12 minutes

The Taratala flyover saw vehicles moving at a snail’s pace. Ditto on Naliniranjan Avenue, after taking a right turn following the descent from the flyover.

⚫Bailey Bridge to Lalbati: 22 minutes

Around 10 minutes were spent at the Bailey bridge level crossing because a freight train was passing through.

The rest of the stretch was chock-a-block, too.

⚫Lalbati to Bhabani Bhavan: 5 minutes

⚫Bhabani Bhavan to Race Course: 11 minutes

Almost half of which was spent waiting at the DL Khan Road signal

⚫Race Course to Fort William: 6 minutes

⚫Fort William to Esplanade: 9 minutes

⚫Total time taken: 65 minutes