Be aware Shiradi Ghat to be closed for 6 months from Dec 1, 2014- Five alternatives considered

Be aware Shiradi Ghat to be closed for 6 months from Dec 1, 2014- Five alternatives considered

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 26, 2014:   With plans on hand to streamline safe and fast  flow of traffic between the Mangalore / west coast towns and state capital  Bangalore,  the National Highways under the State Public Works Department (PWD) is to take up the updating work of 26 km stretch of Shiradi Ghat. This will result in 6 months closure on movement and diversion of all vehicles on the ghat road from December 1, 2014 to May 30, 2015.

The district administration has envisioned  5  alternative routes. The final decision on alternative routes will be taken  after due consultation and feasible studies in the near future.

At the meeting of various departments concerned to discuss the refurbishing and modernisation of  Shiradi Ghat on July 25, DK, Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim put forward the plans for government and private luxury buses to take the Charmadi route and to ply ordinary buses on Mani-Sampaje-Madikeri road.

As per reports, the DC insisted on routing heavy vehicles like bullet tankers and multi-axle trucks on Surathkal-Udupi-Siddhapur-Hulikal Ghat-Shimoga route.  He expressed his view that Agumbe Ghat-Umblebail-Tarikere route and Mangalore-Karkala-Kerekatti Ghat--Kalasa Chikmagalur route for the movement of light vehicles only considering various exigencies of service.

Various task groups made up of officers of National Highways, PWD, KRDCL, KSRTC and Mescom, have been formed and will in-depth study  the vital points of alternative routes and submit a feasibility report by August 15. The final decisions will be taken based on the report. Strengthening the needed aspects of alternative routes would  be executed after consulting the authorities of  the districts concerned, the DC said.

The plans :   The 26 km ghat road stretch from Gundia to Maranahalli in Hassan district will be concretised in two lots. The first one,  contract of Rs 65 crore awarded to Mangalore based Ocean Constructions which will develop 13 km stretch from Heggadde in Hassan to Kempu Hole forest guest house in Dakshina Kannada. The work order has been issued to the contractor. Tender has been called for taking up concretising another 13 km stretch from Kempu Hole to Gundia at a cost of Rs 85.28 crore.

The tender for second group work will be finalised by October end and the work on both sides will be taken up simultaneously by December 2014, said National Highways Engineering Department Executive Engineer C Nataraj.
The concrete road will be of 8.5 metre width and one ft thick. Professor from IIT (Kharagpur) P P Pande and Chief Engineer from Haryana, RK Jain are the technical advisers to the project. As per the plan, 150 metres of road will be laid everyday in order to complete one km road each working week is planned.

On another aspect, the National Highway Authorities of India’s proposal of four-laning B C Road-Hassan road, NHAI Technical Manager Shirish Gangadar said that the department has taken up the process of obtaining forest, environment and land acquisition clearance for the project. The work would be started in 2016 as seen for the present  and it will require three years for completion, therefore it is in early stages.