The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has begun removing the top layer on undulating stretches of EM Bypass and replacing it with a fresh one to level the surface and enhance riding comfort.

The flattening work is currently underway on the stretch between the Ruby crossing and Baghajatin railway overbridge.

Officials at the KMC said mayor Firhad Hakim has expressed his displeasure several times over the bumpy and uneven condition of the city’s roads.

He has instructed engineers to ensure that undulated stretches are flattened, an official said.

“We are now working on the stretch of EM Bypass between the Ruby crossing and Baghajatin railway overbridge. We will work on both the south and north-bound flanks on this 3km stretch,” said a KMC official.

According to the official, most of the undulations are on the Baghajatin-bound (south-bound) flank. “We have already worked on a portion of EM Bypass near the Avishikta crossing. We are now working on the stretch near the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI),” said the official.

The top layer on the south-bound flank, between the Ruby and Avishikta crossings, has also been removed. The surface is being scraped off in regular square or rectangular sections.

“When we lay the fresh bituminous layer, we will ensure that the joints between the existing layer and the newly laid layer align properly. There should not be any difference in the height of the two adjacent portions. Otherwise, the road will become bumpy again,” an official said.

The work on the stretch started about a month ago and will take a few more months to complete. “We are targeting completion before the monsoon,” said the official. The repair will cost about ₹5 crore.

Besides flattening the surface, the KMC will also lay underground drainage lines along EM Bypass, beneath the service roads.

At present, there is no underground drainage network along the Bypass, and rainwater used to drain into vacant land or water bodies on either side.

As vacant land and water bodies have been filled up over the years, the need for a proper drainage network has arisen, KMC sources said.

Officials said they were also preparing plans to undertake similar flattening work between the Ruby crossing and the Ambedkar bridge, near Science City.

“This stretch has more undulations on the Ruby-bound flank (south-bound),” said the official.