The original plan drawn up by the public works department had suggested a 29m width with four lanes. But the bridge would have encroached on the Majerhat Metro station under construction.

Metro had earlier reported that the PWD has asked RVNL to build the Majerhat station in such a way that the building did not protrude from the pillar towards the bridge. There was barely a 9m gap between the Metro construction site and the collapsed bridge. RVNL had said there would be no provision for escalators.

Later, the width was reduced to 25.4m but that, too, was not feasible.

In the new design, at the point where the gap is lowest between the Metro construction and the collapsed bridge, there will be a footpath on one side and two traffic lanes whose width will be reduced from 9.5m to 8m, an official said. “The railways has said in a letter that it approves of the new design.”

The new drawing has factored in RVNL’s proposals, an official of the Haryana-based company said.

“The state government will give a formal clearance to the drawing only after all agencies agree to it,” the company official said.

By January, CESC will finish the task of shifting 132KV cable lines around the site, the official said. “We hope the state government gives us the necessary clearance in the next few weeks. As soon as we get the clearance, we will move in with huge rigs.”

The railways has approved the new design of the Majerhat bridge, making it narrower to allow the construction of the adjacent Metro station, state government officials said on Wednesday.

The implementing agency for the Joka-Esplanade Metro, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), has sent a letter saying it had no objection to the changed design, an official said.

This means construction of the new bridge to replace the one that had collapsed on September 4 can start.

The railways has started demolishing the portion of the collapsed bridge that is still standing over the Sealdah-Budge Budge tracks of Eastern Railway.

The demolition work is expected to get over by the end of January, paving the way for the Haryana-based company that won the contract to build the bridge to start work.

The company had submitted the General Alignment Drawing to the state government on December 19.

The width of the cable-stayed bridge as proposed in the design will be 22.4m, almost 7m narrower than the original plan of a bow string bridge.

A portion of the bridge above the railway tracks and the Joka-Esplanade Metro construction Telegraph picture

The crash site on September 4 Telegraph picture