Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 30: The four-laning work on the Bikarnakatte (Mangaluru)-Sanur (Karkala) section of National Highway 169 has reached 76.1% completion and is expected to be completed by March 2027, said Abdulla Javed Azmi, Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Project Implementation Unit, Mangaluru.
He was speaking at the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting chaired by Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta on Saturday.
Azmi said 36.42 km of the 45.01-km stretch being upgraded has been completed. The Rs 1,137-crore project was originally scheduled for completion on October 8, 2024.
However, work on a one-km stretch near Rosa Mystica School at Gurupura-Kaikamba remains stalled due to a court stay order.
Azmi also briefed the meeting on the six-lane bridge being constructed across the Phalguni River at Kulur on NH 66. The project has achieved 58% progress, with one carriageway likely to be completed by November 2026 and the entire bridge by May 2027.
The Kulur bridge project was launched on April 12, 2021, at an estimated cost of Rs 69.02 crore and was originally scheduled for completion on October 11, 2022.
During the meeting, Deputy Commissioner H V Darshan suggested that the NHAI conduct a joint survey with the district administration to identify and clear encroachments along national highways in the district.
He stressed the need to clear such encroachments to facilitate the smooth implementation of highway projects.