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Kolkata Metro's construction work to close the final 56-metre gap in the Orange Line Metro viaduct at Chingrighata will begin on Tuesday, marking an important step towards extending the Metro line to Salt Lake Sector V, with officials aiming to start services before the Durga Puja festival.
Kolkata's Metro Project Faced Challenges
The biggest hurdle in the project was cleared in May when workers successfully installed concrete deck sections between pillars 317-318 and 318-319 above the busy Chingrighata crossing. The work was completed over two weekends, from May 15-18 and May 22-25, after being delayed for nearly 15 months. Engineers from Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), the agency executing the project, managed to bridge a crucial 62-metre gap in the elevated viaduct over the EM Bypass.
Metro Site Inspection
On Tuesday, officials from Bidhannagar Police inspected the construction site before the next phase of work began. The remaining viaduct construction will be completed in two stages.
In the first stage, a 25-metre section of the viaduct will be lifted into place using a 500-tonne girder launcher installed on the under-construction Metro structure. This section will connect piers 227 and 228.
In the second stage, the girder launcher will be removed. Workers will then bridge the remaining 31-metre gap between piers 228 and 229 by assembling precast concrete segments one by one with the help of a crane.
No Traffic Congestion
Traffic movement is not expected to be affected during this work. The Chingrighata flyover will remain open, while vehicles heading towards Salt Lake Bypass will be diverted slightly through a newly built road constructed by RVNL.
At the same time, RVNL has also started laying Metro tracks from pier 312 towards the Chingrighata crossing along Salt Lake Bypass. This work is aimed at making the New Garia-Airport Orange Line operational up to Salt Lake Sector V. The mostly elevated Metro corridor will eventually go underground for about 900 metres before reaching the airport terminal.