The Lockgate flyover will be open only to vehicles headed for BT Road from Girish Avenue, according to the city police’s new traffic diversion plan ahead of the Tallah bridge shutdown from January 31 midnight.

The 57-year-old bridge is likely to be demolished from February 1 to make way for a new structure.

Construction of the new bridge will take around three years, during which vehicles to and from BT Road will have to follow the new diversion plan, a PWD engineer said on Monday.

Police said the demolition of the Tallah bridge would affect the traffic flow and the diversion was an attempt to ease congestion as far as possible.

“The diversions will from the morning of February 1.

We have prepared police deployment plans to tackle possible congestion at various places,” Rupesh Kumar, deputy commissioner, traffic, said. “There will be some fine-tuning over a period of time .”

The Telegraph gives the low-down on the plan:

Vehicles to BT Road

Buses and minibuses from Central Avenue will move along Girish Avenue to reach BT Road via the Lockgate flyover.

Those moving along Bidhan Sarani and APC Road will be diverted left from the five-point crossing in Shyambazar to Bhupen Bose Avenue and then right to reach Girish Avenue and then the Lockgate flyover to reach BT Road.

Some buses and minibuses will be diverted from the five-point crossing towards Galiff Street and then the Lockgate flyover and BT Road.

All except heavy vehicles moving along Central Avenue will head towards the Lockgate flyover or Cossipore Road, which runs parallel to the flyover, from Girish Avenue. Small vehicles moving along Bidhan Sarani and APC Road will turn left from the five-point crossing in Shyambazar to reach Girish Avenue and then the Lockgate flyover or Cossipore Road.

“We will make arrangements on Cossipore Road so that lorries and other heavy vehicles don’t impede the movement of cars and other small vehicles,” deputy commissioner Kumar said.

Some from Bidhan Sarani and APC Road can move towards the Tallah bridge and turn left to reach Galiff Street or right towards RG Kar.

Vehicles from BT Road

Buses and minibuses moving along BT Road will be diverted left from Chiria More. They can either head straight to reach Nagerbazar and then right towards Belgachhia bridge or turn right towards Northern Avenue to reach Milk Colony, RG Kar hospital and then the five-point crossing in Shyambazar.

Small vehicles moving along BT Road will turn right from Chiria More to reach Cossipore Road and then Girish Avenue and Central Avenue.

They will also have the option of moving ahead of Chiria More and turning left towards Paikpara and then Belgachhia bridge and RG Kar hospital to reach the five-point crossing in Shyambazar.

“We will ensure there are no illegal parking on this stretch to ensure that maximum road space is available to vehicles,” Kumar said.

Heavy vehicles

The police said heavy vehicles would not be allowed on any of the diverted routes. “Trucks and similar vehicles will use Vidyasagar Setu to reach Bally bridge and then Dunlop,” an officer said.