A four-lane flyover over the Park Street-Mullickbazar crossing and an exit ramp off the AJC Bose Road highroad are on the anvil to facilitate traffic plying in the north-south direction.

The 430-m, one-way exit ramp will touch down 100 m short of the Shakespeare Sarani-AJC Bose Road crossing. Vehicles from the Race Course-end will be allowed to take the two-lane ramp to proceed north.

The new flyover — comprising four lanes — will be of 850 metre-1 km in length and is being built to reduce congestion at the Park Street-Mullickbazar crossing.

“Project consultants CES has suggested that instead of one long flyover, we should build two small ones to reduce the congestion on the AJC Bose Road-Sealdah approach,” transport secretary Sumantra Chowdhury said on Sunday.

“CES will make a final presentation on Monday. Part of the funds will come from the toll proceeds of the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners and the rest will be sought from the Centre under the National Urban Renewal Mission.”

The exit ramp will cost around Rs 10 crore and the Mullickbazar flyover Rs 30 crore. “Work on the ramp is likely to start in mid-2007,” said an official.

Officials estimate the exit ramp will bring in an additional traffic of around 1,000 vehicles per hour down the AJC Bose flyover. “Hence, we needed another flyover to ensure smooth flow of traffic in the north-south direction,” chief traffic and transportation engineer B.K. Sadhu pointed out.

“Buses do not take the AJC Bose flyover, as it is very long and overflies many key junctions. The Mullickbazar flyover is being built keeping the buses in mind,” he added.

Though the Japan Bank for International Cooperation had recommended an east-west flyover linked to the AJC Bose highroad, the transport department and CES decided on a north-south link.

“We are trying to provide a north-south corridor, especially in view of the large number of vehicles bound for Sealdah and other parts of north Calcutta,” the engineer added.