An under-construction flyover over the Kona Expressway has been forced to go slow because permissions to cordon off portions of the road for its construction have not arrived, officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have told Metro.
The NHAI wanted to build all the foundations of the flyover before monsoon — a target it has not been able to achieve.
It has yet to start any foundation on a nearly 3km stretch of the 7.192km long flyover.
Howrah City Police, which is supposed to give the permission for cordoning off a slice of the expressway, said the permissions will be given as soon as the NHAI completes all the service lanes and provides necessary traffic signs.
“We have provided them permission on long stretches. Work is going on in full swing. We will give permission on the rest of the expressway as soon as they complete all the service lanes. It is a very important road and commuters’ convenience has to be kept in
mind while issuing permission for cordoning off the road,” said Praveen Tripathi, the commissioner of Howrah City Police.
An NHAI official, however, said that land was not available to create service lanes on all stretches.
“The NHAI has strengthened the Howrah-Amta Road and Howrah-Andul Road for traffic diversion,” he said.
The flyover will take off from Football Gate on the Kona Expressway, about 50 metre from the western approach of Vidyasagar Setu. It will end where the expressway meets National Highway 16 at Nibra.
The six-lane flyover — between 22 metres and 27 metres wide — will run over three railway overbridges, including the Santragachhi bridge, where lengthy snarls are a daily feature.
Several housing complexes have sprung up along the Kona Expressway in recent years, and along with them the number of cars using the road has increased manifold.
Daily commuters from Howrah and neighbouring south Bengal districts, who come to Calcutta for work, have to use the road.
Many Calcuttans headed to tourist destinations in south Bengal in their cars take this road, too. The expressway is almost always chock-a-block with buses, cars and two-wheelers.
“It takes about 40 minutes on average to cross the 7km from the end of Vidyasagar Setu and the Kona Expressway-NH-16 crossing. On a day when traffic is very heavy, it may take over an hour. The flyover will cut down the time to 10-15 minutes,” an NHAI
official said.
The scope of the project also includes strengthening and widening the Kona Expressway. “It is 18 metres wide now. We have plans to widen it to 32 metres, which will include service lanes and access to branch roads,” said the official.
NHAI officials apprehend that the elevated corridor might miss the December 2026 deadline if the permissions to cordon off a slice of the expressway on the 3km stretch did not arrive soon.
“Seventeen per cent of physical progress has been achieved so far. The second milestone of the project, scheduled for December 2025, is 35 per cent progress. But that milestone might be missed if we are unable to begin work soon on the remaining stretch. It might then have an impact on the final deadline,” said the official.
He added that no work has started on a 2.3km stretch from Football Gate as underground electric cables were still being shifted.
The flyover will have six ramps.
Heading west (towards NH-16), there will be an up ramp near Carry Road, a down ramp at Santragachhi and a down ramp at NH-16.
Heading east (towards Vidyasagar Setu), there will be an up ramp from NH-16, another from the truck terminal near Khejurtala and a down ramp at Belepole.