Tunnel plan in Shiradi Ghat shelved: Gadkari tells LS

Construction of tunnels in the Shiradi Ghat section involves huge investments, as well as difficulties in the execution of work, Gadkari said

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said that the government had dropped the plan to build tunnels on Shiradi Ghat and had decided to construct a four-lane road to address the vehicle density on this stretch of National Highway-75 connecting Mangaluru-Bengaluru.

Replying to Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha member Nalin Kumar Kateel's question in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that earlier, the National Highway Authority of India had planned to build tunnels at Shiradi Ghat.

"Construction of tunnels in the Shiradi Ghat section involves huge investments, as well as difficulties in the execution of work, and may not be viable," he said.

The government knew about the vehicle density and the traffic problem on the stretch. It has decided to convert the two-lane highway into four lanes. The NHAI has started the process to prepare a detailed project report, Gadkari said.

In a letter to the Union minister for Road Transport and Highways in 2021, the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry had stated that the 23.6-km Shiradi Ghat tunnel on NH-75 would significantly reduce the travel time and boost movement of goods.