Shirady ghat tunnel work to begin in Nov.

The Centre is likely to begin work on the construction of a tunnel on Shirady ghat stretch of NH-75, provided the Karnataka government submits the detailed project report (DPR) by June this year.

Launching several highway development works in Mangaluru , Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said that Karnataka Minister for Public Works HC Mahadevappa had promised to submit the DPR on the tunnel project by June. The tunnel project is intended to be completed in two years, he said.

6 tunnels, 7 bridges
The 23.6-km-long project will have six tunnels with the largest one being of 2.9 km. There will be seven major bridges. Of them, the longest bridge will be of 1.5 km.

The tunnel project will help improve connectivity between Mangaluru and Bengaluru. This will also boost the traffic of New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), he said.

He gave in-principle approval to upgrade three roads in the district as national highways following a request by the Member of Parliament from Dakshina Kannada, Nalin Kumar Kateel, in this regard. This will help de-congest the traffic in Mangaluru.

The roads include Karkala-Moodbidri-BC Road town with a length of 44 km; BC Road town-Kaikamba-Kateel-Mulki of a length of 51 km; and four-lane widening of Thokkottu-Mudipu-Melkar stretch of 28 km. The cost of development of these three projects is estimated at ₹755 crore.

Highway development
Earlier, Gadkari laid the foundation stone for several highway development works in the State. The works included the widening of NH-75 to a four-lane highway between Hassan and Marnahally and between Addahole and Bantwal Cross sections.

He also launched the work on strengthening and providing rigid pavement on Shirady ghat section of NH-75 and dedicated road-overbridges at Baikampady on NH-66 and at Bantwal Cross on NH-75 to the nation on the occasion.

HBL