Civic tie-up with IIT Kgp for safety audit of Bypass
Times of India | 21 February 2025
Kolkata: EM Bypass, one of the most-used roads in the city, received a separate allocation in this year's KMC Budget, which was tabled on Thursday.
KMC has entrusted IIT-Kharagpur with the responsibility of conducting a safety audit of Bypass. KMC will allocate the amount once the IIT recommendations come in.
With the high-speed corridor consistently topping the list of accident-prone roads in Kolkata, KMC is keen on tweaking its design to improve its safety. Bhargab Maitra, a civil engineering professor at IIT-Kharagpur, will lead a team of researchers to conduct the safety audit of the arterial road, which has become a key link of east and north Kolkata to the extreme south.
"We have tied up with IIT Kharagpur for a safety audit of Bypass as vehicle load has soared and so have road accidents. An expert will conduct the audit of the entire length—from Ultadanga to Dhalai Bridge—and submit a report with remedial measures. Based on the recommendations, we will take safety steps," said a civic official. While the length of the Bypass till Kamalgazi is 32 km, the safety audit will be carried out over 22 km.
The KMC roads department will also tie up with the traffic wing to build refuge islands, aimed at helping pedestrians cross the high-speed road. "Refuge islands are important for pedestrians' safety. We have built 79 such islands and need to construct some more, based on police feedback," said a senior KMC official. The department will also install pedestrian barriers and crash barriers to stop jaywalking.
KMC took up smoothening of some undulating patches. "This year, we will take up bigger stretches from Avisikta to Patuli," said the official.
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