Ultadanga flyover to be closed on Sunday for deck slab test

Kolkata: Ultadanga flyover is set to be closed down for vehicular movement on Sunday, in order to conduct a test over the deck slab of the structure.

According to police, the flyover will be closed from 6 am till 10 pm on Sunday. During the period, vehicles coming along Eastern metropolitan (EM) Bypass will be diverted through HUDCO crossing towards VIP Road.

Vehicles coming towards EM Bypass can avail the slip road a few meters ahead of the Ultadanga flyover's Kolkata bound approach road. Vehicles can also avail HUDCO crossing to avail CIT Road and EM Bypass.

Police claimed that as the test will be conducted on Sunday, no traffic congestion will occur. However, traffic movement may get slower in the HUDCO crossing, depending on the pressure of vehicles flow.

Earlier on July 9 this year, traffic movement on Ultadanga flyover was closed down after an inspection team from Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) noticed multiple cracks on the pier cap of its Eastern Metropolitan (EM) Bypass bound flank.

Three days after the closure, the VIP Road bound flank was opened for traffic. Later, maintenance work was carried out and the closed flank was opened during October this year.

State Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim then informed that an expert committee, which was engaged to do a visual study of the flyover, identified the cracks.

It may be recalled that on March 3, 2013, the same flank on which the cracks have developed, had collapsed while a truck loaded with marble was moving towards EM Bypass.

Later, it was found that there was a problem with placement of the girders which was subsequently rectified and the collapsed portion was constructed again.