Dakshin Kannada: Gadkari Says Rs 15,000 crore Shiradi Ghat Tunnel Project To Be Pursued, DPR To Be Finalised By April

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invited bids for four-laning of 25 km stretch on Shiradi Ghat between Maranahalli and Addahole on the Mangaluru - Bengaluru NH 75.

In a letter to Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Union Minister for Highways and Road transport Nitin Gadkari confirmed that NHAI has invited bids for construction of a four-lane road between Maranahalli and Addahole at an estimated cost of Rs 1976 crore.

The NHAI is currently executing the four-laning work on the 45-km stretch of National Highway 75 between Hassan and Maranahalli in Hassan district.

Once the upgradation is complete, the entire stretch of highway between Bengaluru and Mangaluru would become a 4-lane road. 

Gadkari also said that the Shiradi Ghat tunnel project will be taken up at an cost of Rs 15,000 crore. The minister said that Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being finalised by April 2023 for the 23 km long tunnel and bids will be invited in the months of May.

The tunnel has been proposed between Dakshina Kannada and Sakleshpur, connecting Mangaluru with Bengaluru. The proposal has however faced stiff resistance from environmentalists who claim that it will cause destruction of the ecologically-sensitive Western Ghats.

Shiradi Ghat is a major lifeline and link road to the coastal region from Bengaluru and is considered crucial for the development of the entire coastal region as also the Malnad region of Karnataka.

“This 23 km-long tunnel work will cost Rs 15,000 crore. We are ensuring to finalise the DPR by April 2023 and invite bids in May 2023,” the minister stated in his letter.

Gadkari also said that the road from Sakleshpur to Maranahalli will be repaired at a cost of Rs 12.20 crore. The bids for the repair work is currently under evaluation. Till the repair work commences, the existing contractors will do patchwork to keep the existing road in motorable conditions.

Earlier, on December 8, Gadkari said that it is not viable to construct a tunnel on Shiradi Ghat while answering to the question on the same by MP Nalin Kumar.

Shiradi Ghat road as be in need of upgradation for years now as it generally gets damaged during the monsoon season and is rendered unmotorable. Very often. landslides leads to blockage of the entire stretch for days together.

The ghat road has 14 hairpin bends