Garden Reach: The Garden Reach flyover, which was inaugurated in March, has remained underutilised, prompting the state government to consider building a ramp so that more vehicles can use it.
The ramp, through which vehicles will be allowed to ply in both directions, will take off from Hide Road.
The proposal is to set up a traffic signal post and demolish the median divider at the point where the ramp will meet the flyover.
Engineers said the ramp would enable a lot of vehicles from Budge Budge to take the flyover, easing the load on the Taratala crossing.
These vehicles now ply through Taratala and the Majerhat bridge.
"The proposal to build a ramp connecting the flyover with Hide Road has been verbally conveyed to us. Our preliminary study has shown that the ramp will benefit a lot of people and also help ease congestion at the Taratala crossing," said an engineer of consulting agency RITES, which is a subsidiary of the railways.
The agency had conducted a feasibility study of the flyover, which was built at a cost of Rs 339.92 crore.
"The flyover is extremely underutilised. Only 10 vehicles ply per minute in one direction. To put things in perspective, the corresponding figure for the Parama flyover is more than 30," an officer in the traffic police department said.
Asked about the reason for underutilisation, a RITES officials cited the overhaul of Circular Garden Reach Road.
The road, the primary link between the city centre and Garden Reach, was in a mess when the government had planned the Garden Reach flyover. "There were instances of patients dying in ambulances struck in snarls on Circular Garden Reach Road for hours. The flyover was planned as an alternative corridor," a state government official said.
"While the flyover was being built, the road was repaired and several measures were taken to streamline traffic on it. Restricting the movement of goods vehicles in the port area was one such measure. So, motorists headed for the city centre prefer Circular Garden Reach Road.... The fact that taking the flyover would result in a detour of 3km is another disincentive."
Since September 2016, goods vehicles are not allowed to ply in the port area between 8am and noon and again between 5pm and 8pm.
Engineers said the traffic load on the flyover would increase manifold once the Majerhat station of Joka-BBD Bag Metro becomes operational.
An engineer of RITES said Majerhat, on the eastern end of the Garden Reach flyover, will emerge as a railway hub. It is already part of the suburban railway station well-connected through roads.
"Majerhat will be the nearest Metro station for people living in the Garden Reach-Metiabruz area. An autorickshaw route may open between Majerhat and Garden Reach. The three-wheelers will use the flyover to ferry passengers to and from the Metro station," said the engineer.
