Early morning traffic bound for Howrah bridge crawled along Strand Road on the first day of traffic diversion put in place for repairs of Vidyasagar Setu.

A section of motorists who drove down Strand Road on Friday complained of congestion as early as 5am, with some of them wondering why this key thoroughfare was not made one-way in the early hours.

Kolkata Police had decided that from June 13, traffic headed towards the Setu (second Hooghly bridge) would be diverted between 4.30am and 7.30am for three days.

Officers said many motorists, who were headed for the Setu from Kidderpore Road and Red Road, were unaware that they would have to move towards St George’s Gate Road and Strand Road and then travel towards Howrah bridge to cross the Hooghly.

“The early morning traffic volume is expected to be lower on Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully, there won’t be any snarls,” the police officer said.

The Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners, which maintains the Setu, has initiated a series of repairs of the bridge.