Railway approves ₹348-cr Tallah ROB in Kolkata

Eastern Railway (ER) has approved the final master plan for the Tallah Bridge, a road overbridge. It is a 58-year-old crucial link between the city and the northern fringes and was razed in April-2020 because it was damaged beyond repair. The state public works department (PWD), which is the implementing agency, has planned to commission the project at an investment of ₹348 crore by January 2022. A 240-metre section of the 750-m Tallah Bridge will stand over railway tracks and will link BT Road and Shyambazar over the Tallah railway tracks. The new Tallah Bridge will be a four-lane bowstring arch steel structure, unlike the old three-lane structure that was split into four. The state PWD has decided to route the Tallah ROB design through the Kanpur-based Research Designs and Standard Organization (RDSO). The contractor, L&T, started work in May 2020 but for a section of the bridge, railways' approval was mandatory. The first approval relates to the overall layout of the construction and the PWD has also submitted the detailed structural designs and drawings of the substructure and foundation of the six piers of the ROB falling within the railway portion for scrutiny and approval.