Kalyani Expressway
Kalyani Expressway
43 km
Open
West Bengal
Expressway
Route
Kalyani Expressway runs 43 km from Belgharia, West Bengal to Bansberia, West Bengal.
Crosses West Bengal.
Through Belgharia, New Barrackpore, Barrackpore, Bhatpara, Naihati, Kalyani and Bansberia.
Why it matters
The Hooghly's east bank north of Kolkata is an almost unbroken line of towns, and their only through road was a colonial-era trunk road. This expressway is what makes a daily commute from Kalyani or Naihati into Kolkata realistic.
History
The Kalyani Expressway runs north out of Kolkata along the east bank of the Hooghly, past the old mill towns of Barrackpore, Bhatpara and Naihati, to the planned city of Kalyani. It was built alongside the historic Barrackpore Trunk Road, which by the twentieth century was far too narrow for the traffic of the industrial belt it served, and it gives that whole string of towns a fast road into the city.
Good to know
- Runs parallel to the Barrackpore Trunk Road, one of the oldest roads in the Kolkata region.
- Serves the old jute and industrial towns strung along the east bank of the Hooghly.
- Kalyani, at its northern end, is one of India's early planned townships, laid out after Independence.
- It connects to the Belghoria Expressway for traffic heading to Kolkata airport and the river bridges.
On the road
Busiest at commuting hours in both directions. The towns it passes have many at-grade crossings, so speeds drop in built-up stretches.