Kalikamba Junction-Durga Mahal road to be redone

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 21, 2015:  The  Kalikamba Junction–Durga Mahal (Mannagudda) stretch on the Government Lady Goschen Hospital-Durga Mahal Road is all set to get a facelift as the Mangaluru City Corporation has commenced works on upgrading it as a wide concrete road.

Widening the stretch was part of the corporation’s move, initiated more than five years ago, to develop Lady Goschen Hospital-Durga Mahal Road as a parallel one to Lady Hill Circle-State Bank of India bus terminus road via PVS Circle, K.S. Rao Road and Hampankatta. When the Durga Mahal Road is ready, the city will have two major roads for traffic to and from Udupi. One of the roads could be used as an exit road for heavy vehicles from the SBI terminus. The project of widening the road from Lady Goschen Hospital to Durga Mahal was initiated when V. Ponnuraj was the Deputy Commissioner and it was being realised in phases as the stretch between Bhawanthi Street and Kalikamba Junction has been upgraded. Mr. Ponnuraj and the then Commissioner of the corporation Sameer Shukla had plans to make one of the two roads as one-way for Udupi bound heavy vehicles including buses.

According to sources in the corporation, the project of widening the stretch between Kalikamba Junction and Durga Mahal was being taken up under Tender SURE (Specifications for Urban Roads Execution) which basically gave thrust on pedestrian friendly road. A road project taken up under Tender SURE should be a full-fledged road project with footpath, storm water drain, carriage way (traffic moving area) and other utility related works taken up and completed simultaneously.

They said that the 1.2-km long road would be 50 ft wide. It would have 40-ft wide carriage way and five-ft wide footpaths on both sides. The road would not have any median. The carriageway would have three lanes with each lane having three metres width. According to sources the existing bridge at Alake would be demolished and re-built. It might require three months for completing the bridge. The total project would cost Rs. 11 crore.

The contractor has one year and three months to complete the project from now. But since it was a busy road, efforts would be made to ensure that the carriageway was completed in six months from now and drain and footpath works could be completed later, the sources said.

In most parts of the city where side walks do not exist though the roads are redone for long now, the big challenge is for pedestrians, particularly children and aged. Vehicles two and four wheelers drive on the side walking space causing danger and inconvenience to public. It will be good that  marker barriers are placed to isolate this side walk space so that people on foot are safe and their right is insured.