PWD minister opens Shiradi Ghat road, advises caution

  • | Sunday | 15th July, 2018

Revanna said there was enormous pressure on the government to open the Shiradi Ghat for vehicles. “In 2007, I had seen a tunnel project for an eight-lane stretching 40km. SHIRADI GHAT: PWD minister HD Revanna inaugurated the 12.4km concrete road stretch from Addaholey to Kempuholey on the Dakshina Kannada district border and declared it open for traffic on Sunday afternoon but added a caveat: don’t go beyond 50kmph “for the time being”. “The most worrying point is that the concretised road looks so inviting that enthusiastic drivers, unaware of the conditions, may end up in the gorge,” an official said. I was so enamoured by it that I tried implementing it here as soon as I was back.

SHIRADI GHAT: PWD minister HD Revanna inaugurated the 12.4km concrete road stretch from Addaholey to Kempuholey on the Dakshina Kannada district border and declared it open for traffic on Sunday afternoon but added a caveat: don’t go beyond 50kmph “for the time being”. The road is a crucial link, connecting the coast with the hinterland.Revanna directed DK district deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S and district SP BR Ravikanthegowda to check the feasibility of the road for use of vehicles before Monday morning and arrive at a conclusion whether it could be deemed fit for use by vehicles – especially heavy-duty ones. “The most worrying point is that the concretised road looks so inviting that enthusiastic drivers, unaware of the conditions, may end up in the gorge,” an official said. This, coupled with the heavy downpour, has further rendered travelling on the road a risky affair.Revanna admitted as much, saying, “the pending works may take 15 days to a month. I urge travellers not to drive beyond 50kmph for the time being.” Addressing the crowd at Kempuholey, he said the four-lane project from Gundya to BC Road would be completed in a couple of years. Revanna said there was enormous pressure on the government to open the Shiradi Ghat for vehicles. The three other connecting links to Bengaluru – via Charmady, Sampaje and Agumbe ghats – have already been giving travelers nightmares due to heavy vehicular traffic and landslides.The newly inaugurated concrete road is unfinished at the shoulders and the portions are filled with sponge-soft gravel, dotting at least two-thirds of the stretch. Added to that, the absence of signboards could be risky for travellers, especially at nights.A long-pending proposal for a tunnel road on the Shiradi Ghat could soon be a reality.The 22km tunnel project from Maranahalli to Gundya, first mooted in 2007 during minister H D Revanna’s earlier stint as the PWD minister, is likely to take shape now at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore.After inaugurating the newly constructed rigid pavement structure at Kempuhole on Sunday, Revanna said the project will be realised through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and that a detailed project report had been readied.Seeking help of the central government, Revanna urged MP Nalin Kumar Kateel to push for the project with minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari and assured all possible support from the state government to make the project a reality.Recalling his earlier stint, Revanna said he drew inspiration for the project from China. “In 2007, I had seen a tunnel project for an eight-lane stretching 40km. I was so enamoured by it that I tried implementing it here as soon as I was back. However, the project fell in doldrums because of a few technical glitches. We are working towards implementing it now,” he said.

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