Seven years after works on widening three national highways between B. C. Road and Surathkal began, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has now selected an agency for constructing two road over bridges (RoBs) at Baikampady and at B. C. Road and a road under bridge (RuB) at Padil under the Port Connectivity Project.
Sources in the NHAI told The Hindu that it has selected Rajdeep Buildcon Pvt. Ltd, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, for taking up three projects at an estimated cost of Rs. 36.89 crore. The projects were awarded to the company a few days ago.
They said the NHAI would have to sign an agreement with the company after it submitted the performance bank guarantee. Following this, the NHAI would issue a notice to the company for commencing the work. The company would have to complete the work in 18 months.
Sources said three bidders had responded to the second invitation by the NHAI on March 13, 2012, for taking up three projects. Rajdeep Buildcon Pvt. Ltd., which had quoted Rs. 36.89 crore, won the bid over the other two bidders who had quoted Rs. 41.22 crore and Rs. 42.04 crore.
As the bidders who had responded on May 21, 2010, to the first invitation had quoted high rates, the NHAI had rejected them.
The sources said the two RoBs and a RuB would be constructed parallel to the existing ones.
There would be a vehicular underpass (twin-cell underpass) at Baikampady and a provision to lay another railway track for future in addition to the existing track. Once the RoB was ready, the criss-crossing of trucks and other vehicles from Baikampady Industrial Area to New Mangalore Port on the National Highway 66 would not be allowed. Such vehicles would have to use the twin-cell underpass. This would prevent the traffic jam at Baikampady that frequently occurs now.
At B.C. Road RoB, there would be a provision to lay two more railway tracks in addition to the existing three tracks. The RuB at Padil would be built using the box pushing technology where a pre-cast box would be pushed under the existing railway track.