Kalighat bridge in south Kolkata to be closed for 24 hours from Saturday night, traffic to be diverted

The Kalighat bridge in south Kolkata will remain closed for 24 hours from 10 pm Saturday.

It is expected to be re-opened again on 10 pm Sunday. Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) officials will inspect the bridge during this time and submit a report on the condition of the bridge. The weekend was chosen for the inspection as it is a busy stretch and traffic movement is high throughout the day during the entire week.

A number of important government offices are located in the surrounding area, and as such the closing of the bridge may cause huge traffic snarl if it is done on weekdays.

Vehicles will be diverted from Saturday to Sunday through the surrounding roads, with clear instructions displayed in the area and traffic cops on duty to help. The Chetla bridge and Rashbehari Avenue are important connecting roads along with Judges Court Road, Gopal Nagar Road and Alipore Road.

An earlier inspection of the Kalighat bridge did not require shutting down of vehicular traffic. Some amount of corrotion was noticed but further inspection is required to assess the amount of repairs needed, an official said.