Police propose road infra rejig before RVNL starts Joka Metro work
Times of India | 16 July 2024
Kolkata: The city traffic cops have raised a fresh proposal to widen Dufferin Road, which connects the Gandhi statue with Fort William’s East Gate (adjoining Red Road), decrease the size of J&N Island and ensure that an alternative road is created aligned to the Kalighat grounds before Metro begins construction of the Park Street station on the Joka-Esplanade alignment.The proposal has been sent to RVNL and all agencies concerned, as well as the Army.
The cops said they want to ensure several roads around Maidan are ready to handle the diverted traffic before the Metro authorities shut down or partially close Mayo Road and Outram Road, one at a time, to facilitate construction.
“Given that Dufferin Road has to handle extra traffic since we will be diverting vehicles from both JL Nehru Road and Park Street, Dufferin Road will handle the entire bus movement. Hence, we will need additional lanes to channel vehicles,” an officer said.
The officer said reducing the width of J&N Island was important to accommodate the largest vehicles taking that route. The new alternative route being proposed is likely to be reserved for smaller vehicles, just like Red Road.
The cops said that, given the current condition of Dufferin Road, one solution can be to reduce the size of the pavement. “The RVNL has provided us with a traffic plan. We have reverted with certain pre-conditions, which we think are necessary to keep the traffic seamless here. The final planning will begin soon,” said an officer.
The plan also seeks to widen Outram Road at certain spots where it has shrunk due to curvature. It also contains details about a new alignment for JL Nehru Road and the island at the Red Road-Dufferin Road-Outram Road crossing. The cops have asked for immediate illumination of the Maidan stretch, a long-standing project of Kolkata Traffic Police.
“But what we insist on is proper infrastructure before we are approached for road closures. Our experience with the ongoing work on EM Bypass shows that the planning — and the execution — must begin several weeks or months before we allow any agency to block any stretch of a major road,” explained a senior officer at Lalbazar.