Kolkata's EM Bypass to undergo major road smoothening project for safer journeys
Times of India | 13 November 2024
KOLKATA: Motorists and bikers may anticipate a seamless journey on some of the severely deteriorated, undulating stretches of the EM Bypass with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation implementing a road smoothening project for portions of the arterial road.
Additionally, the KMC roads department will undertake smoothening work on a substantial stretch of SP Mukherjee Road- from Rashbehari intersection to Hazra intersection. "Bikers and motorists endure the most whilst traversing the most undulated stretch," acknowledged a KMC roads department official.
The KMC roads department has undertaken a comprehensive development plan for the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. As part of the scheme, the entire length (22 km) of the arterial road will undergo a special repair and relaying process. The roads department is presently focusing on one of the extensively used stretches- between Ruby intersection and Baghajatin Railway Over Bridge (ROB).
According to a civic official, the KMC roads department will commence a detailed tender process once it receives approval from the civic brass. "We have undertaken the smoothening work of one of the most crucial stretches of EM Bypass that is extensively utilised by motorists and bikers. Once the work is completed, the number of freak accidents due to presence of craters or undulations will diminish significantly. We are maintaining our focus on this stretch and need to utilise all our expertise to render the road surface smooth for motorists and bikers," said the civic official.
Municipal commissioner Dhaval Jain had accompanied a team of senior civic engineers from the KMC headquarters before Durga puja, inspected different stretches of EM Bypass and assessed the present infrastructure of the road. Subsequently, Jain conducted a meeting with the director-general of different KMC departments to formulate a development plan for the arterial road.
The KMC roads department had conceived the road smoothening work a couple of years ago following CM Mamata Banerjee's directive asking mayor Firhad Hakim to eliminate the undulations to provide motorists and bikers relief from bumpy rides. A KMC roads department official acknowledged that they received regular complaints from motorists and bikers about the uneven surface of several major roads.
"Motorists and bikers frequently report to us about undulations of roads. We acknowledge that in several stretches of the city's major roads, frequent excavation followed by hasty repairs lead to undulations. Undulations often result in accidents, especially at night. The road smoothening project undertaken will be advantageous in levelling the road surface making it motorable," said a KMC roads department official.