Mangaluru: For those who feel travelling between Mangaluru and Bengaluru via Shiradi Ghat is tiresome, the assurance made by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari that work on the tunnel through the ghat will start by this year-end, has come as a welcome piece of news.
“The tunnel project through Shiradi Ghat will decrease the distance and also time. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared by the state government. If the DPR is submitted to us by June, I assure you that work will start by November and we will try to complete the work in two years,” Mr Gadkari declared. He was in Mangaluru on Tuesday to attend the foundation laying ceremony for widening of 141 km of NH 75 with an investment of Rs 2358 crore. “Once this project is completed, the port connectivity between Mangaluru and Chennai would be easy,” he said.
The project will have six tunnels, the longest will be 2.5 kms. There will be seven bridges, the longest of which would be 1.5 km. If the existing length of the ghat is 26 kms, the length of tunnels would be 18.5 kms.
Mr Gadkari gave in principle approval for the upgradation of three interior roads in Dakshina Kannada district based on the request by MP Nalin Kumar Kateel during the programme on Monday. These are Karkala-Mudabidri-BC Road, BC-Road-Kateel-Mulky and Thokkotu-Konaje-Melkar roads.
The total length of these three roads would be 123 kms and the estimated cost of development is Rs 755 crore. “I declare that these roads will be upgraded. You can collect the papers related to this during your visit to Delhi,” Mr Gadkari told the MP.
