Heavy vehicles have been barred from plying on two busy flyovers of the city ~ Chingrighata Flyover and Kalighat Bridge ~ after a health study by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) identified “weaknesses” in them.

The health study has found that in both the flyovers, the “weakness” lies in the pillars supporting these structures. Both the flyovers should be opened to heavy vehicles only after the repairing is completed, said an official.

KMDA will send its suggestion for closing down both the bridges for a few days for repairing and police will be requested to make certain traffic diversions, said a source. The condition of a pillar of the Chingrighata Flyover, which connects south Kolkata’s EM Bypass to Salt Lake, is very bad and needs to be repaired immediately.

Chingrighata Flyover is a regular route for several daily commuters and a carrier of heavy traffic. The flyover already suffers from design defects. Last year, the structural engineers of KMDA were asked to provide suggestions on ways to rectify the defects. Sources said that it would be checked whether an alternative design could be drawn up for the flyover or whether additional pillars could be fixed on.

Following which, in June, senior engineers from the RITES, sought the design of the Chingrighata flyover from the KMDA officials for examining the structure of the flyover.

Next, the pillars of 45-year old Kalighat Bridge that is spread over 1.5 km have been damaged due to canal water. Infact the study has revealed that the bridge has been corroded in many places on its pillars due to acidic water of the canal flowing below.

The KMDA is planning to install height bars on both sides of the bridge to restrict heavy vehicles from using the bridge.

Apart from Ultadanga flyover where cracks have been detected, KMDA has raised concerns over the structural conditions of Kalighat bridge, Chingrighata flyover and Aurobindo Setu.

eight flyovers in the first phase and set up a target of completing the health study as well as the necessary reparing by Puja. Among which, three flyovers would undergo load capacity test this month. The first being Sealdah Flyover, which will be closed for traffic movement for 72 hours from the evening of 15 August till the evening of 18 August.

The remaining two are Aurobindo Setu and Bijon Setu that are set to go for the test in the end of August or beginning of September.

Condition of two flyovers ~ Bankim Setu and Bagha Jatin Setu ~ are good and have received the required fitness certification from KMDA. The KMDA is also taking up the health audit of nine more bridges, including Dhakuria bridge, in the second phase that will continue till the end of this year.