Belgharia Flyover to shut in Jan for major repairs

Kolkata: The Belgharia Flyover will be closed in January for repair and renovation following a health audit that detected faults in 12 girders on either side of the bridge.

Engineers on Tuesday inspected the flyover and assessed its condition in the presence of officials from the PWD, Railways, police and Kamarhati Municipality. The team concluded that the bridge requires immediate repairs. A high-level meeting will be held on December 26 to finalise the probable date for the commencement of the repair work, which is expected to take around three to four months.

The Belgharia flyover connects the Belgharia Expressway with Dum Dum Airport and serves as a crucial link between BT Road, the airport-bound Belgharia Expressway, the Kalyani Expressway and Jessore Road.

A few days ago, the Railways informed the PWD that the bridge was not in good condition and required urgent repairs. A PWD engineer said that five girders on one side of the flyover and seven on the other would need repairs, a process expected to take at least three months. With repair work already underway on the Sodepur Flyover, the closure of the Belgharia Flyover is likely to cause inconvenience to commuters and school students.

“It is true that people will face difficulties during the restoration work. However, ensuring public safety is our responsibility and we cannot compromise on that. We hope to finalise the date for starting the work at the meeting with all stakeholders on December 26,” said Gopal Saha, chairman of the Kamarhati Municipality.