Heavy movement of vehicles between Bengaluru and Mangaluru on National Highway 75 this past weekend due to a series of holidays resulted in vehicles having to crawl in and around Kalladka town amid the slush filled carriageway.
With the work on the 2.1 km flyover in the town moving at a snail’s pace and the service roads below not having proper rainwater drainage facility, water got accumulated on the road making driving miserable. Pedestrians in the busy town also had a harrowing time walking on the road flanks or crossing the highway, said Jafar Kalladka, a resident of the town.
Girders to be launched for the Kalladka flyover along the slush-filled carriageway of NH 75, that is being widened to four-lane by the NHAI, on October 1, at Kalladka town. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
B. Shreekara from Puttur, who is pursuing engineering in Mangaluru, said a few Bengaluru-bound KSRTC buses from Mangaluru via Puttur-Mysuru, were late by over two hours because of the traffic jam in Kalladka on October 1. Durga Ramadas Kateel, an engineer in Bengaluru, who was driving to his hometown Mangaluru on Sunday, said he was stuck in Kalladka town for over 40 minutes.
Mr. Jaffar Kalladka said the carriageways along the flyover stretch do not have any rainwater drainage thereby flooding the roads and even posing danger to motorists as well as residents.
Difficulty in girder launching
NHAI Mangaluru Project Implementation Unit Director Abdulla Javed Azmi told The Hindu that the Authority was finding it difficult to launch flyover girders as there was just 40 metre right of way (RoW) in Kalladka town. Property owners on the sides of the highway now admit that they should have allowed some more land acquisition, giving at least 45 metre RoW.
A trailer-truck transporting heavy material is stuck in the slush on the flanks of NH 75. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Because of less space for the carriageway, it was difficult to construct rainwater drainage too, Mr. Azmi said. Girders are ready to be launched, and have been kept outside the town.
Amid all the constraints, the Authority would able to complete the girder launch from Bantwal side till Kalladka-Vittal Junction by November-end. Thereafter, NHAI could provide a good carriageway along with rainwater drainage, Mr. Azmi said. The RoW is a little wider after the junction towards Mani and NHAI could speed up girder launch in that section, he added.
