BELAGAVI: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in New Delhi on Wednesday and urged for the Centre’s approval for the construction of a tunnel to connect Mysuru Road (NH-275) with Hosur Road (NH-48 & NH-75 via Electronics City), Tumakuru Road (NH-48), Ballari Road (NH-44), and Old Madras Road (Old NH-4) in Bengaluru. The tunnel project, one of Bangalore’s major infrastructure development project, is expected to ease traffic congestion to a great extent.
In a memorandum submitted to Gadkari, the CM also sought Centre’s approval for several major road development works, including the construction of nine grade separators on NH-275 in Mysuru to ease traffic congestion. The construction of a tunnel to Shiradi Ghat between Maranhalli to Addahole Section of NH-75 to improve the connectivity between Mangaluru Port (7th largest in the country) and Bengaluru, expedited approval of the Pune-Bengaluru Greenfield Expressway, increasing the annual national highway project allocation to Rs 24,000 crore under the 2025-26 plan, and construction of a flyover at Hebbal Junction on NH-44 in Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah appealed to Gadkari to help upgrade the strategically declared roads to national highways on a priority basis. The other projects for which the CM sought the Centre’s approval included the building an elevated corridor on NH-4 in Belagavi to ease traffic congestion. Four-laning of the Kalaburagi-Wadi-Yadgir-Kendajur-Jedcharla section, construction of a two-lane + paved shoulder (2L+PS) Greenfield bypass at Bhimarayanagudi and Shahpur on NH-150A in Yadgir district, declaring the road from NH-752K to NH-65 under SPUR as a national highway, declaring the Deval Gangapur to Pandharpur road as a national highway under SPUR.
The CM expressed gratitude on behalf of Karnataka for the Centre’s cooperation in expanding the national highway network in the state. The CM’s memorandum also highlighted key projects approved by the Centre including the construction of a flyover at Manipal Hospital Junction (Mysuru City) on National Highway 275, development of a 30.35 km-long Hubballi-Dharwad bypass, construction of a major bridge over the Sharavathi backwaters at Sigandur on NH-369E, building a crucial bridge over the Krishna River at 180.865 km on NH-167 in the Hagari-Jedcharla section, construction of a two-lane road overbridge (ROB) at LC-110E in Bellary city limits, replacing the existing level crossing, and widening of the Sindigeri-Bellary section of NH-150A (Km 235.00 to Km 254.800) to a two-lane road with paved shoulders.