The much-hyped Green Tunnel Bypass for Shiradi Ghat on Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway 75 was found to be not viable and instead the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was asked to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for a four-lane road on the 26-km Ghat stretch.
This was disclosed by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in the Lok Sabha while answering a question on the present status of Shiradi Ghat posed by Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP of Dakshina Kannada on Thursday, December 8 in New Delhi.
The Minister said, “Construction of Tunnels in Shiradi Ghat section involves huge investments as well as difficulties in execution of work and may not be viable.” He further said that the Ministry has decided to develop the existing 2-lane road to 4-lane configuration with improvement in the geometrics by providing suitable retaining structures. NHAI has already engaged a DPR consultant and the report was in progress.
While the tunnel bypass project was in the air for about eight years, Mr. Gadkari during his visit to Mangaluru this February, had announced the bypass project would take off soon entailing an expenditure of about ₹14,000 crore. The bypass was supposed to include six tunnels and seven bridges thereby reducing the travel time by about an hour. At present, it takes about 9-10 hours for journey between Bengaluru and Mangaluru with the existing highway between Sakleshpur and Maranahalli in Hassan district being in a dilapidated condition.
Strengthening the embankment
The 26-km concrete Ghat road was devastated by heavy rainfall during 2018 and 2019 with the embankment of Kempu Hole collapsing in at least at 21 locations. The Ghat road runs along the river for most part of its course.
The NH Division of State PWD has undertaken permanent restoration of valley-side of the highway at a cost of ₹26 crore recently. The work comprising micro-piling and strengthening of the affected embankment was expected to get completed before the next monsoon, said a senior engineer.
Widening the existing two-lane highway in the Ghat stretch involves cutting the hill-side, which requires forest department clearance.
