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Traffic bar on Selimpur flyover

KMDA decides to undertake health study & maintenance work from 16 to 18 August.

Traffic bar on Selimpur flyover

Photo: SNS

The Jibanananda Flyover in Jadavpur, commonly known as Selimpur Flyover, will be closed for traffic movement from 16 to 18 August as Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has decided to take up a health study and maintenance work.

The traffic restriction will be in place from 6 p.m. on 16 August to 6 p.m. on 18 August. KMDA has decided to close Prince Anwar Shah Road on which the flyover is located. During this period all vehicles would be diverted along other routes.

The agency has already discussed the issue with Kolkata Police and the latter would come up with the necessary traffic diversions soon.

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The Selimpur Flyover, is located over the Dhakuria railway tracks connecting Sealdah to parts of South 24- Parganas and has to cope with the huge rush of vehicles headed to/from the Bypass till the Jadavpur police station crossing.

The access road from the Bypass-end of the bridge has three sharp bends because of kinks in the adjoining boundary wall of the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute.

This leads to traffic congestion almost throughout the day. The closure of Selimpur Flyover nearly coincides with that of the Sealdah Flyover, which will be closed for traffic movement for 72 hours from the evening of 15 August till the evening of 18 August.

As such, massive traffic congestion awaits city dwellers next week as two major flyovers would remain closed from 15 to 18 August. On the other hand, heavy vehicles have already been barred from plying on two busy flyovers of the city ~ Chingrighata Flyover and Kalighat Bridge ~ after a health study by the KMDA identified “weaknesses” in them.

Two other flyovers, namely Aurobindo Setu and Bijon Setu, are set to go for a “load capacity test” towards the end of August or beginning of September, during which period they would be closed to traffic movement.

Soon after the Majerhat bridge collapse, the state government decided to study the condition of the existing bridges in the city and take up necessary repair work as well as go ahead with maintenance work.

Subsequently, the KMDA has taken up a detailed health study of these flyovers in a phased manner.

According to a senior official of KMDA, eight bridges have been identified in the city where the health condition are being examined on a regular basis. It has set a target of completing the health study as well as the necessary repairs by Puja. Among these flyovers, the condition of two flyovers ~ Bankim Setu and Bagha Jatin Setu ~ are good and they have received the required fitness certification from KMDA.

The KMDA is also taking up a health audit of nine more bridges, including Dhakuria bridge, in the second phase that will continue till the end of this year.

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