Hindrances to reach temple town Dharmasthala and the surrounding areas are likely to get eliminated as the National Highways Division of the State PWD will undertake two major highway improvement works costing around ₹958 crore, including widening of the Periyashanthi-Dharmasthala-Ujire highway.
Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, on Thursday said the Union government has approved widening of the 29-km NH 73 spur road (erstwhile State Highway 37) between Periyashanthi (junction with Bengaluru-Mangaluru NH 75)-Dharmasthala-Ujire at an estimated cost of ₹613.65 crore and 11.2 km of Mangaluru-Tumakuru NH 73 between Charmadi village and hairpin curve 9 of Charmadi Ghat at an estimated cost of ₹343.73 crore.
Tenders will shortly be invited to execute the projects, he added.
Officials with the NH PWD wing told The Hindu that both the highways will be widened as two-lane roads with paved shoulders having width of 10 m. Once tenders are awarded, work will get completed in about two years, they said.
Of the 29 km stretch between Periyashanthi and Ujire via Dharmasthala, about 4 km road has already been widened to four lanes, between Ujire Junction and SDM College and between Netravathi Ghat and Dharmasthala Dwara.
The remaining portion on this stretch too will be widened to four lanes with a new bridge across the Netravathi thereby making the entire 7 km Ujire-Dharmasthala section four lanes.
The department has also proposed a pedestrian subway for the highway in front of Dharmasthala Dwara to facilitate pilgrims walking to and from Netravathi Ghat to easily reach the temple without having to cross the highway.
The stretch between Dharmasthala and Periyashanthi will be a two-lane road. Horizontal and vertical corrections to the road alignment reduces the distance by about 800 metres.
As many as 11 hairpin curves between Charmadi Ghat base and curve 9 (till Dakshina Kannada border with Chikkamagaluru district) will be widened to two lanes with paved shoulders on NH 73, the officials said.
The highway is already widened to two lanes between Bantwal and Punjalakatte while widening work between Punjalakatte and Charmadi is under progress.
This also includes construction of three bridges, one for the main carriageway and two for service roads, across the Belthangady.
The highway will have service roads on both the sides between Guruvayanakere and Ujire.
