State asks Centre to ready alternative roads

Public Works Minister H D Revanna has said that following the commencement of works to upgrade the 84-km stretch of National Highway (NH4) from Belagavi to the Goa border via Khanapur, the state government had requested the Centre to ready alternative roads.

Speaking to reporters after holding a discussion with his Goan counterpart Ramakrishna Javadekar in Bengaluru, Revanna said the state government has written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in this regard.

He said that the Centre had come forward to provide grants to take up the work on alternative routes. “We felt that a central agency like NHAI will be better equipped to take up the work,” Revanna said. Upgrading the Belagavi-Goa stretch from four to six-lane will be taken up at a cost of Rs 1,342 crore. Vehicles will be barred from using this stretch, and alternative routes have been planned. The road passes through Gunji, Londa, Ramnagar, Tinaighat and Anmod. The last 14-km stretch of project passes through forest, and necessary clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forests have been obtained, he explained.

Revanna said Javadekar has sought that vehicular movement in the forest stretch be extended up to 9 pm. At present, the vehicular traffic on the stretch is allowed from 6 am to 6 pm. Revanna, however, said the state government cannot take a decision on it.

The Public Works minister said work on upgrading the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway into a 10-lane expressway will be launched on January 25.

NHAI has divided the project into two packages – Bengaluru to Nidaghatta (56 km) and Nidaghatta to Mysuru (96.01 km), he added.