2nd Hooghly Bridge will remain open on Sunday; Traffic police withdraws closure order

In a major relief for thousands of daily commuters between Kolkata and Howrah, the Kolkata Traffic Police has completely withdrawn its previous decision to shut down Vidyasagar Setu (Second Hooghly Bridge) for 16 hours this coming Sunday, May 17, 2026. A fresh notification issued late Friday night by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of the Traffic Department confirmed that the critical transit link will now remain open to all forms of vehicular movement throughout the day.

This swift policy reversal ensures that no transit disruption or massive diversions will hit the twin cities over the weekend. The sudden update directly cancels a morning directive issued by Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand, which had announced a strict closure from 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM for high-priority structural work.

The initial order was intended to give the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) an empty deck to safely replace stay cables and carry out vital engineering maintenance. However, the overnight notification revealed that the scheduled technical operations have been put on hold, and the bridge will experience zero traffic restrictions on Sunday.