Kolkata: The Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, will remain closed to traffic for 16 hours on Sunday, August 24, to facilitate critical repair and rehabilitation work by the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC), Kolkata Police announced.
According to a traffic notification issued by Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, the bridge will be shut from 5 am to 9 pm for the lifting and placement of steel portal beams at a location near Santragachi Bus Terminus on Kona Expressway, along with the replacement of stay cables, holding-down cables, and bearings of the Vidyasagar Setu. During the closure, all types of vehicles will be restricted from plying on the bridge and its connecting ramps. Police have drawn up an elaborate diversion plan to manage traffic movement during the shutdown. West-bound traffic from AJC Bose Road via Zeerut Island will be diverted from Turf View through Hastings Crossing to St George’s Gate Road, Strand Road and Howrah Bridge, or allowed to take a right turn from Hastings Crossing towards Kidderpore Road. Vehicles coming along Kidderpore Road from J&N Island heading for the bridge will be diverted from 11 Furlong Gate through Hastings Crossing towards Howrah Bridge.
East-bound vehicles from Khidderpore along CGR Road will also be rerouted via Hastings Crossing and St George’s Gate Road. Those using the Y-Point ramp on Kidderpore Road to access the Setu will be diverted towards 11 Furlong Gate and Red Road to reach Howrah Bridge. Police said additional diversions through arterial roads may be implemented if required. This is the second attempt to carry out the work after a previously scheduled 24-hour closure on August 16–17 was cancelled at the last moment.