Kolkata: The State government has floated a tender to construct the new Talla Bridge which will be cable-stayed and made in four-lane. The project will be completed at an approximate cost of Rs 268 crore. The company that will be selected for constructing the new bridge would have to complete it within a span of one-and-a-half years. According to sources, the government, after completion of construction of the bridge, would give the responsibility of maintenance of the bridge to the company for the next ten years. Talla Bridge which connects the city with North 24-Parganas, had been declared as "most vulnerable" and movement of heavy vehicles were restricted on it. It was learnt that both state PWD and the Railways would soon start demolishing the bridge. The construction of the new bridge would be started after the existing bridge is razed to the ground. It was also learnt that the state government has already given around Rs 14 crore to Eastern Railways to construct a level crossing on the tracks under the arterial Talla Bridge for movement of heavy vehicles once the bridge is dismantled. The PWD had initially proposed a bowstring design for the bridge as the construction of it is less costly than the cable-stayed one. However, Eastern Railway had rejected it saying that the construction of multiple piers would hamper the movement of trains underneath. According to railway officials, a cable-stayed bridge would require two spans, supported by a single pier and thus would not cause any hindrance to the movement of the trains. The model of the bridge will, however, be finalised by a special committee comprising of senior PWD officials and Railways. Meanwhile, in another development, the state government has also decided to set up a foot overbridge at Chingrighata to curb road accidents in the area. The foot overbridge which will be constructed from Chaulpatty Road in the west to Jala Vayu Vihar in the east, will have both escalator and staircase facility. The agency which will be selected through a bidding process will have to complete the project within four months. Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority has issued notification welcoming the bidders. The intending bidders have to download the tendering documents from the government website. The state government has decided to set up the footbridge after a number of accidents at the spot in recent past.

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