Likely to open this month, here’s how the new Kolkata bridge connecting Salt Lake, VIP Road will ease traffic
Officials said that while the Bailey bridges in Majerhat and Lake Town in Kolkata have 7-foot-high guard walls, the new bridge would have 14-foot-high walls for added support.
Commuters travelling to Kolkata from Sector V and EM Bypass can look forward to smoother connectivity as the third Bailey bridge connecting Salt Lake and VIP Road near Dakshindari is set to open to traffic by January 31.
Sources said that once the bridge is fully ready for traffic movement, a date will be fixed for its official inauguration. This new Bailey bridge will also ease congestion on the Ultadanga flyover.
A Bailey bridge is a type of modular bridge with pre-built parts that can be put together quickly. English civil engineer Donald Coleman Bailey is credited with inventing it during World War II.
According to sources in the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), work to set up the sub-structure of the bridge has been completed and its girders have been launched. “It took seven to eight days to fix the structure. This is the first time that a modular steel structure for a Bailey bridge is being set up in the city.”
Officials said that the Bailey bridges in Majerhat and Lake Town in Kolkata have approximately 7-foot-high guard walls, but the new Bailey bridge would have 14-foot-high guard walls for added support to the bridge’s road surface.
According to a senior KMDA official, the bridge’s construction began in October 2025 with the deadline set for December. The West Bengal Urban Development Department is funding its construction cost, estimated to be around Rs 6 crore. The structure, being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), is made of structural steel and has a foundation of concrete.
The new two-way bridge will be around 46 metres long and 7.5 metres wide, and will allow heavy loads. It will be the third Bailey bridge across the canal that runs between VIP Road and Salt Lake.
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Currently, there are two bridges across the canal. The first, near Kestopur, ends near Tank No. 8 in Salt Lake, from where one can reach Karunamoyee, but motorists often avoid the narrow road with multiple speed breakers. The second, near Lake Town, is a one-way bridge used mainly by vehicles avoiding the Ultadanga flyover to reach EM Bypass. This was built in 2018 after cracks appeared in one of the Ultadanga flyovers. It allows vehicles from the airport side to proceed towards Salt Lake.
Tanusree Bose is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Kolkata. Her work focuses sharply on the complex administrative, political, and judicial developments across West Bengal, establishing her as an authoritative voice in regional news coverage.
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