Rail India Technical and Economic Service Limited (RITES) has recently submitted a feasibility report to the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) for the construction of an alternative route along the Mahananda river at an estimated cost of ₹150 crore. The project is aimed at easing traffic snarls in the heart of Siliguri town. RITES has proposed a road-and-bridge-combination as a solution. Once completed, the project is expected to ease traffic on Sevoke Road and Hill Cart Road, two major thoroughfares in Siliguri. The Mahananda river flows through Siliguri and prior to this, the SMC had asked the engineering consultancy corporation to take up a study and come up with a report. Siliguri, which is the second largest town in Bengal and a gateway to the Northeast states and Bhutan, has been plagued by traffic congestion for decades. Chairman of the board of administrators of the SMC, Gautam Deb, said that the civic body has come up with this proposal to ease traffic congestion in Siliguri town as the proposed route would connect Surya Sen ParkBagha Jatin Colony-Bhanu Nagar and Gurung Busty areas of the city. The bridge will connect Bhanu Nagar with Bagha Jatin Colony. The alternative road will be 6km in length and the proposed bridge over the Mahananda river will facilitate three-lane traffic movement, he said.
