Traffic Restrictions Announced in Kolkata for Bridge Repairs

By A Staff Reporter

The Government of West Bengal’s Transport Department has announced a series of traffic restrictions and diversions in Kolkata to facilitate critical repair and re-girdering works on bridges. The closures, effective from January 23 to January 27, aim to ensure the safety of commuters and smooth execution of the work.

As per the notification issued by Dr. Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Secretary to the Government of West Bengal, the following restrictions will be in place:

1. Ballyghat-Ballyhalt Road Under Bridge (RUB): Closed for all vehicles for 100 hours from 00:00 hrs on January 23 to 04:00 hrs on January 27.

2. Bally Bridge (Dakshineswar-Ballyghat Flank): Closed for all vehicles for 100 hours during the same period.

3. Belgharia Expressway (Dakshineswar-Airport Flank): Closed for 12 hours from 20:00 hrs on January 23 to 08:00 hrs on January 24.

4. PWD Roads near Skywalk and RKP Deb Road: Closed for 11 hours from 22:00 hrs on January 25 to 09:00 hrs on January 26.

To accommodate the diverted traffic:

Public and private buses will be routed via Nivedita Bridge, and no toll fees will be charged for buses during this period.

Two-wheelers and three-wheelers, which are typically restricted on Nivedita Bridge, will be allowed to use Bally Bridge during daytime hours (08:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs) from January 23 to January 26.

The restrictions follow requests from the Eastern Railway authorities to enable the dismantling and re-girdering of critical railway bridges, including Br No. 15CCR at Ballyghat. Adequate coordination has been ensured with the Kolkata, Barrackpore, and Howrah police commissionerates, alongside the Transport Department, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and Eastern Railway officials.