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regular-article-logo Friday, 22 November 2024

Twenty-three minutes saved by 650m-long Majerhat bridge

A drive through difference between two car rides from Taratala to Esplanade via the Bailey bridge and the other via the Jai Hind bridge

Debraj Mitra Calcutta Published 05.12.20, 01:40 AM
The Majerhat bridge with the Mominpore-bound flank packed with vehicles around 11am on Friday

The Majerhat bridge with the Mominpore-bound flank packed with vehicles around 11am on Friday Bishwarup Dutta

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.

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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

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

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