Mangalore – Karkala National Highway Will be Converted to 4-Lane Likely in Two Years: Much Needed

Mangalore – Karkala National Highway Will be Converted to 4-Lane Likely in Two Years: Much Needed

Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel said that in the next two years, all national highways connecting Mangalore, will be converted into four lanes.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued the work order to widen the NH from Bikarnakatte in Mangalore, to Sanur near Karkala, to the Sanur-Bikarnakatte Highways Ltd. The NHAI has already appointed Sanur-Bikarnakatte Highways Ltd to develop the Bikkarnakatte-Sanur stretch of NH-169, as per the work order dated October 10, 2022. The project will be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 1,137 crore, and this is excluding the cost of land acquisition. The 45km-long four-lane road will be developed from Bikarnakatte in the city, to Sanur, which is about 5km from Karkala. The company has been directed to complete the project as per the time-frame given to them.

Once the project is completed, people from Dakshina Kannada will benefit most, as the road passes through Moodbidri, which is a major town, and an education hub. Further, the traffic congestion on the Bikarnakatte to Gurupura stretch will be eased. The new four-lane stretch will be of a width of 45m, with a carriageway of 18-20m, as well as median, and there will be two bypasses at Gurupura and Moodbidri. The NHAI plans to set up a toll gate near Gurupura, once the project is completed.