Vidyasagar Setu will remain shut to traffic from 6am till 2pm on Sunday to facilitate the ongoing repair and replacement of cables and bearings of the 33-year-old structure.
The Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC), which maintain the bridge, is conducting a thorough overhaul of the structure by replacing two different types of cables.
Sunday’s traffic closure is aimed at completing a part of this task, senior HRBC engineers said.
This is not the first time that the bridge will be closed to traffic for eight hours.
Over the last few Sundays, the bridge has been kept off vehicles for a specific period of time.
HRBC engineers said that the task of replacing the bridge’s cables is a complex process.
“The total cost of the project of overhauling the second Hooghly bridge is close to ₹256 crore, and replacing a cable takes several hours,” a senior HRBC official said.
Traffic diversions
Police have drawn up a diversion plan for the time when the bridge will be shut to traffic on Sunday.
Vehicles coming from Alipore towards the bridge will be diverted towards the Hastings crossing and then directed to move along Strand Road and further north towards the Howrah bridge, the police said.
According to the diversion plan, vehicles headed for the bridge from Kidderpore Road will be diverted from 11 Furlong Gate towards the Hastings crossing and then made to move down Strand Road towards the Howrah bridge.
Small and heavy vehicles headed for the second Hooghly bridge along Circular Garden Reach Road will be diverted from the Hastings crossing towards St George’s Gate Road and Strand Road.
“Vehicular traffic will also be diverted through arterial roads as and when required,” stated a notification, signed by Manoj Kumar Verma, the commissioner of Kolkata Police.