The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Sunday, partially opened the 1.18 km flyover with Vehicular Underpasses (VuPs) structure on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway 75 for vehicular traffic at Nellyadi town in Puttur taluk.
Partial opening of the structures, that is, one of the two carriageways, has brought some respite to road users who had been struggling to negotiate the narrow and potholes-ridden service roads on both the sides of the structures for nearly four years.
NHAI Mangaluru Project Implementation Unit Director Abulla Javed Azmi told The Hindu that the other carriageway would be opened before the onset of Monsoon. Construction of the flyover-underpasses ran into rough weather after residents and businessmen in the town objected to the ‘wall’ being raised in the middle of the town thereby affecting trade and commerce in the region.
Opening of one of the two carriageways of the flyover with underpasses under the B.C. Road-Periyashanthi four-lane project of Mangaluru - Bengaluru National Highway 75 for vehicular traffic by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) brought much relief to road users at Nellyadi town in Puttur Taluk, Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Flyover and VUPs
The structures comprise one flyover with three spans, each 15 mt wide, one Vehicular Underpass with 20 meters width and another VuP with 7 meters width.
As the through traffic began to move on the flyover-VuPs from Sunday, the NHAI has planned to set right the service roads on both the sides that were riddled with potholes and craters because of movement of heavy vehicles. An NHAI official said the service roads would be done for a width of 6 mt each.
Decade-old project
The B.C. Road-Adda Hole (63 km) NH 75 four-laning project was initiated by the NHAI in 2017 with M/s L & T bagging the contract for ₹821 crore. However, it foreclosed the contract after NHAI intended to split the project into two, add some more works thereby changing the scope of work.
In 2021, the Authority awarded the contract in two packages, Adda Hole to Periyashanthi (Dharmasthala Cross, 15.13 km) to M/s S M Autade Pvt., Ltd., at ₹400 crore cost and Periyashanthi-B.C. Road (48.48 km) to M/s KNR Constructions at ₹1,100 crore cost under engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode.
The project is still incomplete at several stretches, though short ones. Nevertheless, driving to and from Bengaluru consumes lesser time to earlier days, said Amith Nayak from #saveNH75 online group.