Kolkata Traffic Police draws up alternative route plan

The Kolkata Traffic Police has prepared an elaborate plan to avoid congestion when the Brabourne Road flyover will remain closed for three consecutive days due to the ongoing tunneling work of the East-West Metro project.

Police have confirmed that the Brabourne Road flyover and the road under it will be closed at midnight on July 7 and it will reopen at 6 am on July 11. So plying of any type of vehicle will remain restricted for three days — Saturday, Sunday and Monday on the flyover and the road under it.

The flyover and the road under it is a major thoroughfare connecting the central business district with Howrah. It is the route that the vehicles take to head towards South Kolkata from Howrah.

In a bid to avoid traffic congestion, the police have decided that south-bound buses and mini-buses will be diverted through Strand Road. At present, only Howrah Bridge-bound vehicles from both Central and South Kolkata pass through that stretch which remains very busy. Now, the police have planned to allow two-way traffic movement by allowing Central Kolkata-bound buses and mini-buses to ply on Strand Road. Apart from buses and mini-buses, no other vehicles will be allowed to use Strand Road to head towards Central Kolkata. In that case, such vehicles will have to pass through Posta.

The South Kolkata-bound vehicles coming from Howrah will be diverted through Vidyasagar Setu. According to a senior officer of the Kolkata Traffic Police, the decision to divert South-bound vehicles was taken to reduce the traffic load on Strand Road and other adjacent thoroughfares.

Necessary road signs will be put up at different points to help people easily understand that which road they should take to reach their destinations when Brabourne Road will remain closed.

On June 28, a meeting in this regard was held at the New Secretariat building headed by Mayor Sovan Chatterjee. Senior officials of the state transport department including its Principal Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Metro Railway officials, Additional Commissioner of Police Vineet Goyal and DC Traffic V Solomon Nesakumar of Kolkata Traffic Police were also present in the meeting.

The decision to temporarily shift the minibus stand at Dalhousie Square and the tram tracks were also taken in the meeting.