Patch repairs on some portions of EM Bypass, undertaken in the first week of August, have come apart, and fresh potholes have formed again.

The stretch in front of Ambedkar Bridge is the worst, said commuters. Deep and wide potholes have formed on the Science City-bound flank on the stretch of the Bypass leading to Ambedkar Bridge.

A man in his 30s who took his daughter to a play area for kids near the bridge said the condition of the service road under the bridge was equally bad.

A police officer responsible for managing traffic on this stretch of the Bypass said the potholes, combined with waterlogging after a spell of rain, slow down traffic and form a queue of vehicles on the Bypass and on the Ruby-bound ramp of the Parama flyover.

The service road under the bridge is in bad shape.

“A good number of vehicles take the service road to reach Basanti Highway. The traffic slows down on the stretch because the service road also has many potholes,” said the police officer.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has started placing paver blocks to cover the potholes as a measure to prevent further damage.

“We are placing paver blocks on the stretch of Bypass near Ambedkar Bridge. This stretch is getting damaged repeatedly. The stretch is also prone to waterlogging, and the bituminous layer is wearing off fast,” said an official of the civic body.

According to the official, the stretch lacks an underground drainage network, because of which the area gets waterlogged after every spell of rain.

A stretch of the Patuli-bound flank of the Bypass near Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) that was also repaired in the first week of August, has started to wear off.

One more stretch — on Gariahat Road, near the ITI crossing — that too was repaired early in August, has suffered the same fate. The top layer has started to wear off, and small potholes have formed.

A woman in her early 20s who took the road on Saturday said she experienced a bumpy ride as the two-wheeler crossed the stretch.

“I was pillion riding on a two-wheeler booked through an app. As the two-wheeler came near ITI, I felt like the bike was running over a series of small bumps. I asked the rider to slow down. It was uncomfortable and painful because of the sudden bumps,” she said.

A senior official of the KMC said that the stretches near SRFTI and Gariahat ITI were prone to waterlogging. “We have plans to place paver blocks on these stretches, too. They will be more durable,” said the official.

The official said the paver block stretches will be long-term solutions on stretches that are prone to waterlogging.

A professor of construction engineering, however, said that while paver blocks would be more durable, they should not be treated as an alternative to improving drainage facilities.

“If the drainage is poor, it needs to be improved. The root cause must be addressed,” he said.