State announces road closures for Bally Bridge work starting from Jan 22 midnight

Kolkata: To facilitate the replacement of a 95-year-old British-era Railway Over Bridge (ROB) between Bally Ghat and Bally Halt stations, the state Transport department has announced significant road closures in the surrounding areas for four days starting from the midnight of January 22. Public and private buses will be rerouted via Nivedita Bridge during this period.

The Sealdah Division of Eastern Railway had already announced that train services between Dum Dum and Dankuni will be suspended for 100 hours, from January 23 to January 26, to facilitate the replacement of old steel girders in the ROB. The suspension of local train services between Sealdah and Dankuni will result in the cancellation of 22 pairs of local trains. Several express trains will also be cancelled, while others will be diverted via Dum Dum-Naihati.

Additionally, two trains will operate from Howrah instead of Sealdah. These changes will also impact local trains in other sections of the Sealdah Division, with 15 more pairs being cancelled.

As part of the bridge work, several key routes will be closed to all vehicles. From midnight of January 22 to 4 am on January 27, the Bally Ghat-Bally Halt Road Under Bridge (RUB), along with the Dakshineswar-Bally Halt flank of Bally Bridge, will be closed. Furthermore, the Dakshineswar-Airport flank of Belgharia Expressway will be shut for 12 hours, from 8 pm on January 23 to 8 am on January 24.

The PWD roads towards the Skywalk side and RKP Deb Road will also be closed to traffic from 10 pm on January 25 to 9 pm on January 26.

These traffic restrictions come after a comprehensive meeting involving various stakeholders, including the Railways, NHAI, Barrackpore and Howrah Police and the Transport department, including representatives from the West Bengal Transport Corporation.

During the closure, buses rerouted via Nivedita Bridge will be exempt from toll fees, which will be covered by the Railways. The reimbursement will be made to the NHAI.

Additionally, due to restrictions on two-wheelers and three-wheelers on Nivedita Bridge, these vehicles will be permitted to use the Bally Bridge (Dakshineswar-Bally Ghat flank) during the day, between 8 am and 8 pm, from January 23 to January 26.