Thejaswi U Poojary

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi

Udupi, Dec 31: Despite minor adjustments to vehicle movement in the city until January 1, traffic congestion persisted in most areas. The long-standing traffic issue at Kalsanka now appears to have shifted to other parts of the city.

According to the new traffic arrangements, vehicles from Manipal heading toward Mangaluru and Kaup are directed through Sharada Kalyana Mantapa Road. Vehicles coming from Gundibail turn near Kadiyali and proceed toward Krishna Math and Udupi. Those traveling from Manipal to Gundibail take a U-turn near the city bus stand. Vehicles from Malpe are routed to Karavali Junction, where they take a left turn and move through the service road, taking a U-turn near Nittur's Abharana Motors to proceed toward the city. Except for those traveling directly from Mangaluru to Malpe, all other vehicles take a U-turn at Abharan Motors and head toward Udupi. Vehicles from Malpe Beach heading toward Udupi are redirected via Balaram Circle, Hoode, and Nejaru roads, eventually joining the highway near Santhekatte.

Kadiyali Junction has emerged as a new bottleneck. A temporary U-turn was allowed near Ocean Pearl Hotel, but later closed, which forced vehicles to take a turn at Kadiyali Junction, further exacerbating congestion due to limited space.

Significant traffic was observed in areas like Ambalpadi, Shiribeedu, City Bus Stand, Santhekatte, Gundibail, and Kadiyali. Notably, Kalsanka, a usual congestion hotspot, witnessed relatively less traffic. Additional police personnel were deployed at critical points, including Kalsanka, Kadiyali, Shiribeedu, Bannanje, Karavali Bypass, Ambalpadi, and Santhekatte, to manage traffic flow.

Heavy vehicles faced significant difficulty navigating turns from Shiribeedu Junction to Sharada Kalyana Mantapa and from Kalsanka to the Gundibail area. This led to disruptions for other vehicles, adding to the ongoing traffic woes.

Earlier traffic congestion was seen only in Kalsanka and Karavali bypass, but the new diversion resulted in traffic congestion at Kadiyali, Kalsanka, Udupi City bus stop, Shiribeedu and Karavali bypass.

The growing population in Udupi has led to an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. This, coupled with ongoing construction projects such as the Indrali vehicular bridge, Santhekatte underpass, Adi-Udupi road, and Ambalpady overpass, has significantly contributed to traffic congestion.

Additionally, the poles installed for traffic lights are currently being used to display promotional banners. Proper utilization of these poles for installing functional traffic signals could help streamline traffic flow and reduce congestion.