Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu
- The report will be submitted to the Centre within 20 months
- Rs. 5.56 crore has been sought from the Centre for repair work
- Asphalting of several stretches on NH 17 and NH 48 to start soon
Mangalore, Oct 11: The proposal to widen the two-lane 140-km B.C. Road-Hassan National Highway to four lanes has got a shot in the arm with the State Government appointing an agency to conduct a survey and prepare a detailed project report.
This is part of the important Bangalore-Mangalore National Highway 48 via Shiradi Ghat, which has now been closed for repair.
The project assumes significance as this is an important transport lifeline that connects several southern districts to Mangalore. The widening of the highway makes commercial sense because Mangalore has a port and is an important centre that supplies petroleum products to most parts of the State by road.
Feedback Ventures, a private firm, has been appointed design consultant for preparing the report. The firm was chosen through a tender with the consent of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
This agency will submit its report to the Ministry within the next 20 months, S. Gopal, Executive Engineer, National Highways, Mangalore Division, told The Hindu.
The survey will be conducted for converting the stretch between B.C. Road and Hassan bypass. Mr. Gopal said that the division had sent a proposal to the Centre seeking Rs. 556 lakh to fill potholes and for repair work on National Highways 17 and 48.
He said that asphalting of three stretches on NH 17 and a stretch on NH 48 would begin in a fortnight. A 5.5-km stretch from the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka, Surathkal, towards Mukka would be asphalted on NH 17. Another 12-km stretch on NH 17 at Baindoor would also be asphalted. In addition to this, a 2.2-km stretch of the highway near Kundapur would be asphalted, he said.
Tenders have been approved to asphalt an 11-km stretch on NH 48 near Kalladkka.
A proposal to make NH 17 from NITK at Surathkal to Kundapur four lane is before the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). A detailed project report in this regard has been completed.