Mangalore gears up for restructuring

DHNS

• Underpass, overbridge to come up in heart of city

 

Mangalore, 08 July 2011: In a bid to reduce the traffic congestion, the district administration is gearing up to change the face of Mangalore city.

 

In fact, the district administration is planning to build an underpass and an overbridge in the heart of the city. The under pass is coming up between the K S Rao Road and Falnir road while the overbridge will come up between the Town Hall and Light House Hill Road.

 

Speaking to Deputy Commissioner Dr Channappa Gowda said that once the primary paper works including estimation of the projects are done, the survey will start before the end of this rainy season. “We hope that the proposed project of underpass and overbridge will reduce the traffic congestion, the city is afflicting now,” he said.

 

Currently, all the vehicles moving from State Bank side are using the same way to reach Hampankatta and then taking diversion to K S Rao road, Jyothi or Falnir. This makes the traffic at Hampankatta Circle clogged for several minutes even at non-peak hours.

 

The proposed underpass linking K S Rao road to Falnir will help the vehicles which are coming from M G Road (PVS Circle) via K S Rao road to go directly to Falnir without touching the Hampankatta Signal.

 

Similarly, the overbridge from Town Hall to Light House Hill road will take the vehicles from State bank side to Jyothi Circle directly without disturbing the traffic at Hampankatta signal. Once the projects are realised, it will reduce the congestion now being experienced by the motorists in the city to a great extent. This will also save time and energy. Under the current traffic system, vehicles have to wait for a couple of minutes at the Signal point.

 

Parking complex

 

The district administration and Mangalore City Corporation are also planning to build a parking cum commercial complex in Hampankatta. The plan might be in a PPP project (Private Public Partnership), the Deputy Commissioner informed.

 

To a query on the construction work of permanent private bus stand (Transportation Hub) at Pumpwell, he said the administration is trying to develop the bus stand in the available land. “We have acquired seven acres of land. Now we are trying to develop those seven acres and later according to the need, we will acquire more land,” he said.

 

The Deputy Commissioner also said that the district administration will handle any protest against the plan. “For any project, there will be protests from some corners. If we are going to take care of all those things, we won’t finish any works,” he asserted.

 

With the co-operation of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the district administration is also planning to build an underpass near the proposed Transportation Hub in Pumpwell.

 

As per the existing plan, there is no free entry or exit to the proposed bus stand at pumpwell following the four-laning of the road between Pumpwell and Nanthoor.