The Public Works Department (PWD) of Karnataka has completed concreting one of the two carriageways of the Kankanady Bypass Road (750 metre length) between Karavali Junction and Pumpwell (Bhagwan Mahaveer) Circle, one of the key entry points into Mangaluru.
Work on the up-carriageway (towards the city) began on February 20. Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) commenced shifting of the underground drainage line beneath the existing road simultaneously. Though the PWD had promised to concrete both the up and down carriageways within four months, the project was delayed by the prolonged time taken to shift the UGD lines.
The down carriageway (exit) would be taken up for concreting soon, said a senior PWD engineer. However, work could start only after the MCC shifts a few minor utility lines beneath the carriageway. “Earlier, the corporation had claimed that no utility lines existed beneath the down carriageway. We had geared up to take up the concreting work immediately after completing the up-carriageway,” the engineer said.
He said the concreting work could be taken up even during the rainy season as about five-seven hours of dry spell is enough to lay pavement-quality concrete. “If it rains for 10 hours after pouring the concrete, there would be no need for additional curing,” the engineer said.
Though the PWD had promised to turn both the up and down carriageways from asphalt to concrete within four months, the project was delayed by the prolonged time taken to shift the UGD lines. | Photo Credit: H S MANJUNATH
Traffic diversion
“The existing traffic diversion system would continue till both the carriageways of Kankanady Bypass Road are concreted,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) K. Ravi Shankar told The Hindu.
Outgoing traffic would move out on the newly-concreted stretch from Karavali Junction to Pumpwell Circle while the incoming traffic would move in via the Kankanady Old Road from Pumpwell Circle to Fr. Muller Hospital Junction, both declared one-way in the respective directions, the officer said.
Work was sanctioned in 2020
The work was sanctioned in 2020 at an estimated cost of ₹4 crore. Despite the five-year delay, the contractor was ready to execute the work at the same rate. The scope of work includes laying a 7-metre-wide concrete road on both the sides with a 1-metre-wide median in between, the engineer said.
Published - June 10, 2026 02:36 pm IST