Shiradi Ghat road reconstruction likely to start on October 15.

The National Highways division of the State Public Works Department (PWD) has tentatively planned to take up Shiradi Ghat reconstruction Package 2 on National Highway 75 (Mangaluru-Bengaluru) from October 15.

Consequently, the ghat road stretch would be closed for all kinds of traffic entailing vehicles plying between southern coastal Karnataka and the hinterland, including Bengaluru, to take a detour. At least four months are required for executing the work, according to the PWD.

A senior PWD officer told The Hindu that if it does not rain in the ghat section, the work would start on October 15.

The contractor - GVR Infra Projects Ltd. - has stored about 50 per cent of the material required to execute the work, the official said. Though the contractor was given the work order in November last, the work did not start as the contractor was unable to store the material at the required quantities.

Package 2 of reconstruction involves construction of concrete road for 13 km between Kempu Hole Guest House and Adda Hole near Gundya at a cost of Rs. 85 crore and laying a fresh bitumen road for 21 km between Gulagale and Heggadde at a cost of Rs. 33 crore.

Package 1 involving construction of concrete road for 13 km between Heggadde and Kempu Hole Guest House was completed between January and August 2015.

The officer said that two concrete paver machines — dry lean concrete (DLC) and pavement quality concrete (PQC) — are yet to arrive at the project site. While the DLC paver is held up at the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border near Hosur, the PQC paver has to come from Hyderabad. Both machines are expected to be at the site by October 15, the officer said.

Asked whether one-way movement of vehicles would be allowed during the reconstruction period, the officer replied in the negative. The road would have to be completely closed for vehicular movement to maintain the standards, he said.

Vehicles between Mangaluru and Bengaluru would have to ply via Charmadi Ghat, Sampaje Ghat (Mangaluru-Mysuru Road) and other alternative routes. Bullet tankers transporting LPG would have to be routed via Honnavar-Shivamogga, the officer added.

Road users had a hard time taking a circuitous route between January and August last year when the ghat road was closed for executing Package 1 of the project.

THE HINDU