BENGALURU: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has decided to upgrade the National Highway starting from Goraguntepalya and promised to take a decision on hiring an agency to fix the cables, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Friday.
Talking to reporters after chairing a meeting of the PWD, BBMP and Finance Department officials here, the CM said instructions have been given to send proposals on how to improve National Highway projects in Karnataka. It has been agreed to give a few concessions for the Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) related to Bengaluru.
Bommai also highlighted that the drainage system on Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway will be audited to find out where the UGD needs to be widened, increasing gradient and other bottlenecks.
“With this, the capacity of drainage will increase. It has also been decided to reduce the distance of arterial roads which connect to Chennai Express, Mumbai Express and Hyderabad Express and pass through roads in Bengaluru. There is a need to construct flyovers and underpasses at a few places along high-density corridors on national highways. The places where the skywalks are needed are identified. Most of the projects which were discussed today were of emergency in nature,” said CM Bommai.
He also stressed that Union Minister Gadkari has assured of clearing the projects. “The Union Minister has promised to give immediate sanction if the plan is prepared within one-and-half months. The endeavour of the government is to start the works from the current year and we are working in this direction,” he added.
As per the discussions, the estimate list must be submitted and finalised after which the Union Ministry of National Highways will release grants.
Bommai said the government intends to have an authority for all transport facilities exclusively for Bengaluru, and a bill in this regard will be tabled in the next session of the State Legislature. “For this, several agencies have to work in coordination. Several works are now pending due to lack of coordination. Legislation will be brought to have an authority for Bengaluru alone,” he added.
The CM also noted that the Shiradi Ghat Road will be soon completed and said, “The Union Minister has promised to complete the Shiradi Ghat Road at the earliest and new national highway proposals will be brought under the Central Road Fund.”(ANI)