KOLKATA (Metro Rail News): Kolkata City police on Tuesday issued a letter to the Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation (KMRC), implementing agency of the East-West Metro, giving its nod to keep the Sealdah flyover closed for 72 hours to facilitate construction of underground tunnelling for the corridor. The flyover will remain closed from 6 am on Friday till 6 am on Monday. Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Urvi, digging the east-bound tunnel, will reach the flyover sometime on Friday morning and cross the structure on Sunday night to reach its destination, Sealdah station.
A detailed guideline was issued for the traffic rejig that will come into effect for the flyover’s closure. This is the last-leg of 2.45km of the East-West Metro tunnelling, between Esplanade and Sealdah station. Till the TBM covers the 25m distance below the flyover to reach Sealdah station, around 40 engineers and workers of construction agency ITD ITD-Cementation will be camping below and above the flyover round-the-clock. The TBM is currently 50m away from the 40-year-old Sealdah flyover, which is in a fairly good condition, engineers of KMDA.
The elaborate exercise will be repeated three months later when the flyover is closed again as Urvi takes a U-turn to build the unfinished west-bound tunnel till Bowbazar’s Durga Pituri Lane.Kolkata Police is cordinating with various stakeholders, the traders below the flyover, the bus owners and workers.
“We have met a few bus owners and another meeting is being planned in the next 48 hours. We also held a meeting with the concerned traffic guards. Three roads — MG Road, CR Avenue and SN Banerjee Road — will require augmented force besides the Moulali Crossing,” said an officer.“A configuration will be sent to KMRCL and Kolkata Police by Thursday as to the precautionary and safety measures to look after to see that no damage occurs on the base of the flyover structure while the tunnel is made,” said a KMDA official.
Kolkata traffic police has decided to use CR Avenue, Surya Sen Street, SN Banerjee Road and the Canal Road East to try and keep central Kolkata moving. “No parking will be allowed on SN Banerjee Road and Vivekananda Road. We are also removing all encroachments along BB Ganguly Street that might impede free movement of vehicles,” said an officer.
