It is just a matter of time, thought Koushik.
Soon he will be able to reach the office at Salt Lake Sector 5 much faster. Even he will reach his home at Mukundapur after his office without getting entangled in traffic snarls every evening.
Kaushik works in an IT company in Salt Lake Sector 5. For him, the ordeal of crossing the regular traffic jam near the Chingrihata crossing always gets on his nerves.
Going to and from the airport will also be much easier once the EM Bypass-Mahishbathan flyover is operational after only 3 years.
The planning of the flyover has been going on since 2013.
Rs 150 crore was allocated in the state budget for 2024-2025, confirming the intent of the authorities to initiate work as early as possible.
The tender inviting bids for the construction of the flyover will most likely be floated after the Lok Sabha elections.
The Flyover will be 7.1 km Long
Each flank of the four-lane flyover will measure 7.5 m wide. The state PWD will execute the project.
A segment of the 7.1 km flyover, spanning approximately 1.5 km, will traverse above the East Kolkata Wetlands.
The flyover will start from the Metropolitan crossing and cross the Chingrighata crossing to move over Salt Lake Bypass and Sector V, avoiding the wetlands.
There will be two ramps — one each near Nicco Park and Nalban — that vehicles headed towards EM Bypass from Salt Lake can use, said an official of the state urban development department.
A third ramp will go down near College More in Sector V and can be used by vehicles heading to Sector V and other parts of Salt Lake or a part of New Town that is adjacent to Salt Lake.
While taking a right turn from EM Bypass at the Chingrighata crossing to enter Salt Lake, the flyover will run 5.5 metre above the existing Chingrighata flyover.
Together, Metro and the New Flyover Will Help
Kolkata Metro’s Orange Line is expected to expand further in the next 3 years. It is currently operational in the Kabi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (near Ruby Hospital).
Once expanded, this Metro Line will connect a large area of South Kolkata around the EM Bypass and it will be easier for people to reach Salt Lake Sector 5, New Town, and the airport quickly in air-conditioned comfort.
For the road traffic, the usual traffic jam of Chingrighata will be a bitter memory of the past once the new 4-lane flyover is operational.
The project is a necessity now. In another five years, it will be extremely difficult to manage the volume of traffic entering and leaving the city around the Chingrighata crossing on the Bypass unless there is a flyover connecting the artery and New Town.
Obviously, the accessibility of Salt Lake Sector 5 and New Town will get a huge boost once this flyover comes into being.
It is expected that the real estate sector will considerably benefit in several areas because of these infrastructure development projects.
Let us see which areas will develop the most and how you can benefit as a homebuyer.
Which Areas Will Benefit?
The flyover will connect several areas in North, East, and South Kolkata, and as these areas will experience speedier road connectivity, property prices will rise.
Interestingly, property prices in Mukundapur, where Kaushik currently lives, will probably rise because of better connectivity with Salt Lake Sector 5, New Town, and the airport. Similarly, areas around the Ruby-Garia stretch of the EM Bypass will particularly benefit.
Presently, a large number of people commute daily to Salt Lake Sector 5 and New Town from areas like Mukundapur, Kasba, and Garia. Daily travel will be much easier for them.
This flyover will also help the people of Mahishbathan, New Town, and areas near the airport such as Chinar Park and Kaikhali. Even the residents of Rabindra Tirtha area of New Town will massively benefit.
It will particularly help the people of South Kolkata while going to the airport and traveling to the city from the airport.
“This flyover from Metropolitan crossing to Mahishbathan will not only help commuters to reach New Town and Sector V fast but also stimulate the development of residential and commercial real estate segments in New Town. New Town, as a Smart City, is the new development hub of Kolkata where huge residential and commercial projects are coming up,” said a prominent property developer of Kolkata.
