Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (MS)
Puttur, Mar 31: The concreting work of the 13 kilometre stretch of road between Kempuhole to Addahole in Shiradi Ghat is being done with greater speed and is expected to be complete by the end of May 2018. In all likelihood, the road will be open for traffic in the month of June.
Rs 74 crore has been released for this project and the work is being done by Ocean Construction India Private Limited company using latest machinery and modern technology imported from Germany.
Out of the 77 drains in this stretch, the work of 74 is complete. In addition, widening of three minor bridges is also in progress.
Ultra modern German machine for work
In order to complete the work faster and also for a more permanent solution for the road issues in Shiradi Ghat, Censor Paver machine from Germany was imported at a cost of Rs 10 crores. Every day two to three kilometres of road is being concreted with a thickness of 600 mm. Already 3 kilometre stretch of road on both left and right side has been completed. Rest 9 kilometres is in the first layer of granular sub-base (GSB) application and 3 kilometres stretch is in the second layer of dry lean concrete (DLC) application process. This information is given by Suresh Kumar, engineer of the company, who is at the site of work.
Unique technology for road construction
Shiradi Ghat receives heavy rains for nearly six months in a year. The mud of this ghat is very soft due to the continuous stream of water that flows in between the rocks. Because of this, it is very difficult to construct a firm and long lasting road in this ghat. Keeping this drawback in mind, a new and latest technology is being implemented in constructing permanent and long lasting road this time.
In order to prevent the mixing of mud with concrete, geotextile is applied before the start of concreting work. Cross filter drainage system is being built at distance of every 25 meters to avoid the continuous stream of water. Hard soil is being put in low lying areas of the ghat. This information was given by Raghavan, superintendent engineer of national highway authority.
Quality of work appreciated by the public
Ocean Construction Company, which is doing the present work of concreting, had done the first phase concreting of 11.77 kilometre stretch of the ghat between Heggadde and Kempuhole. The quality of work of the first phase done by this company was appreciated by people representatives, public and highway authority.
Now in order for the work to progress quickly, vehicular traffic has been closed on the ghat from January 12 this year.
"The deadline given by the government ends in August. However, we have taken all the measures to complete the project as soon as possible. The road will be open for vehicular movement by the end of May or beginning of June" said Sharfuddin, director of Ocean construction India Private Limited.
Shiradi Ghat road - a long-standing issue
Plying through Shiradi Ghat was a bottleneck for drivers as well as passengers for a long time. It was really an adventure to Maranahalli in Sakleshpur through the narrow bitumen road which passes between the ghat. It used to take three hours for this journey. During rainy season huge potholes were created on this road due to the moisture in the mud.
However, this time around a permanent concrete road is being built, which will enable two vehicles to pass at a time. The surface of the road is being made rough for the drivers to have grip and control while negotiating through this road. More than four bends are straightened already to avoid blind spots while driving.
National highway authority used to spend crores of rupees every year for asphaltization of the ghat as the road used to get damaged during the rainy season. However, this time around all are hoping the solution opted is a permanent one.