The Farakka Barrage authority will begin repairs on the Farakka Bridge road from Saturday, a project that is slated to continue for three months to restore a vital north-south Bengal thoroughfare that is used by around 10,000 vehicles every day.

Officials involved in the project said repairs had become overdue since a “touch-up” in 2018 during which unmanageable traffic snarls used to take place every day.

“This bridge is almost 50 years old. The last repair was done in 2018, but it has deteriorated since and has even caused a few accidents. Our aim this time is for an expeditious repair but without the traffic complications of 2018,” said barrage superintendent engineer Sandip Kumar.

Sources said police, CISF and barrage officials would work jointly to ensure that while one flank is repaired, the other remains open. “In 2018, the traffic snarls extended up to 5km and would last hours,” said a barrage official.