Traffic is now open on Agumbe Ghat road

Traffic is now open on Agumbe Ghat road

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Jan 2, 2017:  Traffic was thrown open on the Agumbe Ghat road connecting Udupi and Shivamogga districts in the evening of December 31. The ghat road was closed on December 1 for repair works.

B.S. Balakrishna, Superintendent Engineer, Public Works Department (PWD), Shivamogga district, told The Hindu on Sunday that under the repair works, removal of highly damaged rigid pavement, filling of potholes, construction of roadside drains and guard walls was taken up on a 2.4-km badly damaged stretch coming under Shivamogga district.

Actually, the Agumbe Ghat road is now a part of Malpe-Tirthahalli National Highway 169A. But the repair works were taken up under the funds sanctioned earlier to the PWD.

Though the money was sanctioned for concrete pavement, it was not taken up because it would hamper the widening of the road later by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The NHAI had given a letter to that effect, he said.

Since this 2.4-km stretch was badly damaged, the repair work was taken up. The painting work along the road had been completed.

The work of installation of signages would be completed in another five days. The construction of guard walls would take up another fortnight.

The present work had been done in seven hairpin curves coming under Shivamogga district.

There are an equal number of hairpin curves on this ghat road coming under Udupi district.

The vehicle density on this road is estimated at around 8,000 passenger cars units per day.

“The guard walls of the road, in the section coming under the Udupi district section, has collapsed in some places. We have brought this matter to the notice of the NHAI and told them to take immediate action,” Mr. Balakrishna said.

Courtesy: The Hindu