Kolkata: Relief from bone-rattling rides as Bypass gets a mastic makeover – Times of India

KOLKATA: EM Bypass, which had turned into a motorists’ nightmare, has slowly started getting a fresh layer of mastic asphalt. KMDA has already laid a new surface at stretches vacated by RVNL with the completion of the Metro viaduct.
However, this is a short-term repair work in the run-up to complete overhauling of the entire corridor with a uniform surface and world-class road furniture.

“Dispersal of traffic has become faster and seamless. This has reduced chaos at two major road intersections significantly — Avishikta and Ruby crossing,” said a traffic police officer. Currently, the focus is to relay a 10km stretch that suffered the maximum brunt of Metro construction.
“The relaying work at the Metro sites is being conducted with funds from KMDA and RVNL,” said a KMDA official. The authorities had earlier carried out patchworks on both the flanks between Santoshpur and VIP Bazar. However, the potholes resurfaced after a round of brief rain. “I fell twice from my motorcycle after hitting craters – once near VIP Bazar and again near Hiland Park. Fortunately, both times I managed to survive as traffic was slow,” said Ranjit Guha, who lives at Garia.
“During the Metro construction, barricades had been placed to divert the lanes, which had resulted in additional vehicular pressure. With the sub-base already compromised, undulation on the surface during heavy rains causes the bituminous surface to crack,” explained a KMDA engineer. This is why KMDA decided to do resurfacing instead of patchworks. “For the last few days, I have been feeling the drive a lot more comfortable,” said U S Roy, owner of a liquor shop at Abhisar shopping complex.
“As per the NGT order, mastic asphalt cannot be used for road repair. So we have to use bituminous concrete or stone mastic asphalt for complete sprucing up of the road surface,” a KMDA official added.