kolkata

Updated: Oct 07, 2015 16:30 IST

The pain is finally giving way to gain. Come October 9, the Park Circus-Parama Island flyover will finally be inaugurated after a 12-year wait.

It is the longest flyover of the state. Vehicles will start plying immediately. The flyover will ease traffic movement to and from the airport to a great extent.

While the main flyover is 4.5 km, the total length, including the flanks and the ramps, is more than 9 km. The flyover will allow one to reach EM Bypass from Howrah in a seamless movement across three flyovers, covering only 300 metres on the ground — near Park Circus Maidan — and 500 metres between the Police Training School and the second Hooghly bridge.

The ground distance will be reduced further once a flank connecting the Parama Island- Park Circus flyover with the AJC Bose Road flyover is finished. Work on this project will start immediately after October 9.

On the Bypass side, the flyover will have two flanks — one ending at JBS Halden Avenue near Dhapa and the other at Arupota near PC Chandra Gardens.

Urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim had told reporters at Nabanna almost two months ago that the flyover would be commissioned well before Durga Puja.

The journey of Bengal’s longest flyover started in 2003 under the stewardship of chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. It was the brainchild of a committee of the state transport department.

However, construction started only after 10 years, in February 2013. The initial cost estimate was Rs 320 crore.

In 2013, construction halted after Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) terminated the contract with Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) because of cost escalation.

However, HCC moved court and finally got legal order in its favour.