New Bailey Bridge over Keshtopur to connect Salt Lake & VIP Road; targeted for Puja completion

Kolkata: To reduce traffic congestion, a new Bailey bridge will be constructed over the Keshtopur, connecting Salt Lake and VIP Road opposite the Dakshindari area. This is the third such bridge and the second one located within one kilometer of the VIP Road. State Fire and Emergency Services minister Sujit Bose, MLA of Bidhannagar Assembly Constituency (Salt Lake and Lake Town areas) said: “It is the second Bailey bridge connecting VIP Road to Salt Lake. The earlier bridge was constructed for the Salt Lake bound vehicle. We had a plan to construct another such bridge for the vehicles coming from Salt Lake but that did not materialise due to lack of police clearance.”

According to sources, the new bridge will be around 7.5 meter wide consisting of two lanes. Also, it will be capable of taking heavy loads. It was learnt that the bridge will be constructed by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). After the project was finalised, on Thursday, an inspection of the spot was done jointly by all the stakeholders like police, KMDA, CESC, WBSEDCL, PWD, PHE and other departments along with civic body officials for a draft plan for starting work. Sources informed that the documentation process for the construction will start soon. The target is to complete construction before the Durga Puja. This apart, police have made an initial plan to use the Bailey Bridge for a couple of hours for Salt Lake bound vehicles in the morning and VIP Road bound vehicles in the evening. Rest of the time, it will be used for both flank bound vehicular movement after trails.