The Chingrighata intersection on EM Bypass will be handed over to the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited in a day or two for constructing a Metro pillar in the middle of the crossing, Calcutta police have decided. The decision comes with a rider that the work has to be wrapped up within 45 days.
“Pillar number 318” is key to holding the viaduct of the New Garia-Airport Metro link that takes a curve from Chingrighata towards Salt Lake. RVNL is the implementing agency for the project.
The construction of the pillar has been stuck in a logjam for the last few years with the police and the KMDA — which now maintains EM Bypass — saying that the traffic disruption on the busy corridor may not be manageable.
The police has been running a traffic trial from Saturday till Monday to understand how things will play out on the busy EM Bypass once a portion of the Chingrighata crossing is blocked for the construction.
On Tuesday, senior police officers said the series of changes in traffic trial yielded satisfactory results, barring a few challenges.
“The trial was satisfactory. We would like to hand over the Chingrighata site to RVNL within a day or two so the pillar construction can start,” said an officer.
Through a large part of Monday, traffic moved through the Chingrighata crossing along the two flanks of EM Bypass without many hurdles.
But evening rush-hour vehicles coming from Salt Lake towards EM Bypass took a hit with the police stopping the free left turn towards Science City.
The construction of the Metro pillar will entail blocking a portion of the Chingrighata intersection — 8 metres on either side of the median divider on EM Bypass.
Officers have drawn up changes to tackle possible congestion. Some of these include:
- Vehicles coming from Salt Lake Bypass are not merging with the ones on EM Bypass
- A pedestrian refuge island created using guard rails for those crossing over from Sukanta Nagar has been removed. Pedestrians are being directed towards the foot over-bridge
- The additional road space, after removing the pedes-trian refuge island, has been opened to vehicles headed towards Science City along EM Bypass.
