Ring road to ease Howrah traffic torment

Howrah: Commuters in the industrial town will soon get relief from traffic congestion as the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) has nearly completed the 12-kms ring road. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate it on January 27. The flyover, which will connect the east-west bypass with Howrah station, will be completed in the next phase.

Conceived by Ram Ratan Chowdhury , who is working as a consultant with HMC, the ring road will start from Howrah station and touch several important points like Rishi Bamkim Bridge, Rishi Bamkim Road, Kartik Chandra Dutta Road, Foresore Raod and Kona Expressway-Benepole crossing. (see map) "It will not only solve the traffic problem in Howrah but will ensure a smo oth passage for vehicles to and from Kolkata. Funds for the Rs 95 crore will not be a problem and we will start the work of the second phase immediately after the CM inaugurates the road," said Howrah mayor Rathin Chakraborty.

The ring road will help in diverting traffic as it is connected with major junctions and important crossing across the town. "There are openings at major links, like Mukhram Kanoria Road, which that leads to north Howrah, at G T Road, Kona Expressway and Andul Road. These are all very important links and all these roads will be inter-connected once the ring road is open to public," said IIEST-Shibpur director Ajoy Roy.

According to Roy, the ring road will also help to streamline traffic on busy Kolkata thoroughfares like Strand Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road and Vidyasagar Setu.