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Convent Bridge Repair Sends Massive Traffic Snarls On The Sealdah Flyover

By ugesh sarkar, Section Civic Problems in Kolkata
Posted on Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 04:23:06 AM EST

Massive traffic snarls have become a regular feature on the Sealdah flyover, giving commuters a harrowing time every day. Ongoing repair of the Convent bridge is holding up traffic on the flyover like never before.

With Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and the railways busy repairing the bridge, it has been closed to traffic by Kolkata Police. Vehicles that normally take the flyover on their way to or from Beliaghata Main Road now prefer to drive straight across the flyover, creating traffic snarls.

Thousands of commuters, who cross the flyover every day, are facing tremendous inconvenience. "It takes nearly 20-25 minutes to cross the flyover and reach Moulali from Sealdah," said a daily commuter. The three-point junction at the centre of the flyover is the most congested with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

TODAY'S PAIN, TOMORROW'S PAIN: A long queue of traffic has become a regular feature on Sealdah flyover after repair work (below) began on Convent bridge

Many vehicles from Beliaghata are avoiding the flyover to reach SN Banerjee Road or Creek Row by taking the route below the flyover along Bipin Behari Road. So, this road, too, has become congested.

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Apart from the recent increase in traffic snarls, the Sealdah flyover or Vidyapati Setu has witnessed a rapid increase in car count in recent years. This is not surprising as it connects APC Road at one end with Moulali at the other and also links Sealdah station to Mahatma Gandhi Road. With traffic on the flyover criss-crossing from four directions, KMDA and the railways had earlier discussed ways to ease traffic chaos on it. A plan was prepared in 2004 to construct a ramp from the Moulali-bound flank that would come down just in front of Sealdah station. The idea was to divert all Sealdah station-bound vehicles from the three-way point of the flyover.

But no initiative to implement the plan was either by KMDA or the railways. "The plan has not been finalised yet. It is the railways' responsibility to do so. However, work on repairing the Convent bridge will be completed soon," said a KMDA official.

Source: Suman Chakraborti From TNN 26/Jun/2008

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