CHAOS CORRIDOR: The newly-constructed bridge on the Tolly’s Nullah at Garia, due to make a debut in 2007. It will ease the congestion on the older, connecting Calcutta with Sonarpur, Baruipur and beyond. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

The bridge over Tolly’s Nullah, in Garia, is likely to be opened in the new year, bringing an end to the long ordeal of local residents.

The bridge, which connects Calcutta with Sonarpur and Baruipur (where the headquarters of South 24-Parganas will be shifted), is scheduled to be opened on January 1, said Goutam Chatterjee, executive engineer of the irrigation department.

“Our men are working overtime. We hope work will be over by December and we will open the bridge on New Year’s day. The bridge has four lanes to accommodate heavy traffic,” he added.

The earlier bridge on the Nullah was made of steel. But the increasing volume of traffic on the stretch prompted the authorities to replace it with a concrete structure with pavements on either side.

The irrigation department started construction in association with the Metro Railways in August 2005. The estimated budget was around Rs 70 lakh.

Work was expected to be complete by March, but got delayed by around nine months because of “non-performance” of the construction agency.

In the absence of the bridge, passengers to and from Sonarpur and Baruipur have to take the busy Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. As a result, the passengers waste a lot of time travelling owing to traffic snarls during the peak hours.

“The traffic situation will be normal as soon as the bridge is inaugurated. We are trying to relocate the autorickshaws near the bridge to minimise the traffic chaos. We will arrange other modes of transport for the passengers,” the official added.