MANGALURU: A detailed project report (DPR) for a new 23.6km tunnel, which will reduce the travel time between Mangaluru and Bengaluru is ready, said Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari.
He was speaking after virtually laying the foundation for the twin one-way bridges with six lanes across the River Phalguni at Kulur in the city, and dedicating and launching 32 other major national highway projects of the state on Saturday.
At a video conference programme presided over by Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, at the deputy commissioner’s office here, Gadkari said the process for the implementation of the Rs 10,000 crore Shiradi tunnel road project has begun, and the work is expected to commence soon. “The process of land acquisition for the Shiradi tunnel project is progressing. In the next phase, we will invite tenders for the project, and work will begin soon after the contract is awarded. This project will be a major milestone for Karnataka, as it will play a key role in the development of the state,” Gadkari said.
The minister virtually laid the foundation for a development project worth Rs 58.8 crore, to be taken up on the Sampaje stretch of the Mangaluru-Madikeri national highway. The work involves the construction of retaining walls for the highway stretch, drainage, and other safety measures, for the Ghat road stretch. He launched a project of constructing a 26km long permanent retaining wall along the river, to protect the national highway at Shiradi Ghat, which will be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 36.5 crore. The foundation was laid virtually for another similar project, a 13km long retaining wall in the Charmadi Ghat, which will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 19.4 crore. The proposed six-lane bridge at Kulur will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 69 crore. The minister also officially dedicated the bridge constructed across the Phalguni river on the national highway between Mangaluru and Moodbidri.
Nalin Kumar Kateel said 90% of the land acquisition process has been completed for the widening of BC Road to Addahole stretch of the Mangaluru-Bengaluru national highway, and development of the Kulshekhar-Karkala stretch on the Mangaluru-Moodbidri route. “Tenders for the two national highway projects will be invited within three months, and the works will be started soon after. Meanwhile, all the four new projects the minister launched for the region will be completed within 2-3 years,” he added.