BELAGAVI: In an attempt to reduce burden on the existing National Highway-4 (part of the Golden Quadrilateral) between Bengaluru and Pune, the Union Government has proposed to develop another national highway to link both the cities.
The proposed new highway, to be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore, will help reduce the distance between Bengaluru and Pune by 75 km. According to Union Minister for Highways and Road
Transport Nitin Gadkari, the 699-km long new national highway connecting both the cities, will pass through the drought-prone areas of Satara and Sangli districts in Maharashtra.
To minimise flood effect
While attending a programme at Sangli, Gadkari said that several parts of the existing 775-km NH-4 between Bengaluru and Pune submerge during the monsoon season. He said that the new highway will be designed in such a manner that at no point of time any part of it will get flooded.
In recent times, the traffic on NH-4 got hampered on many occasions due to flooding of many of its stretches, particularly between Belagavi and Kolhapur. The authorities concerned have been finding it tough to divert the massive movement of vehicles through alternative routes.
The NH-4 is one of the busiest national highways in this region. A new highway between Bengaluru and Pune would come as a huge relief to commuters, especially during the rainy season.
In Karnataka, the proposed national highway will pass through Belagavi, Bagalkot, Gadag, Koppal, Bellari, Davanagere, Chitradurga, and Tumakuru districts.