Salt Lake, VIP Rd stretches get paver-block patchwork
Times of India | 4 September 2024
12 Kolkata: Multiple cratered stretches of Salt Lake and VIP Road have undergone patchwork repairs with paver blocks to last the monsoon season prior to a full-fledged repair work before Durga Puja starts. TOI has previously written about how roads around the airport and Salt Lake were filled with potholes, leading to traffic crawling and frequent accidents over the last few weeks of heavy rain.
Officials said they chose paver blocks over usual patchwork repairs, keeping in mind factors like durability, ease of maintenance, drainage, aesthetic appeal and quicker installation.“Paver blocks are the fastest way to treat a cratered road without blocking traffic for long durations. While patchwork repairs with bitumen often get worn out after two-three spells of heavy rain, the paver blocks align with the practical as well as aesthetic needs of this part of the city,” said a PWD official.
The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started conducting patchwork repairs of the most damaged road stretches in Salt Lake, and they too, are using the same method. BMC has patched up the Salt Lake entry point from the EM Bypass-Beleghata crossing, which was in a battered condition.
Civic officials said that funds from the road repair proposals which were submitted earlier, were getting approved and allocated in phases according to the requirements. “All the 41 wards of BMC, spreading across Salt Lake and Rajarhat Gopalpur will be covered,” said a BMC official.
BMC undertook repair work on some stretches of the township earlier last year and towards the beginning of this year with bitumen, but craters have resurfaced in most of the places. Locals have insisted that instead of laying bituminous layers repeatedly, the civic authorities should consider using mastic asphalt which is a bit costly but comparatively more durable. BMC officials said the full-fledged repair work will likely be taken up later this year.