Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Jun 10: By next month, commuters travelling between Mangaluru and Bengaluru via Shiradi Ghat will be able to save an hour's time. The total stretch of 26 km of the ghat section road is fully concreted and is likely to open for traffic in the first week of July.
The width of the road which was 7 meters earlier has been increased to 8.5 meters. Modern and latest technology has been used in the work of widening and concreting of the road. According to officials, chances of this stretch wearing down even in the rainy season are very slim. Guardrails (protection wall) are being installed on both sides of the highway.
Two-phase work
In the first phase, upgradation of 13 km stretch from Maranahalli to Kempuhole was done at a cost of Rs 80 crore. Now in the second phase concretization of 12.38 km stretch from Kempuhole to Addahole is done at a cost of Rs 74 crore. The aim is of having 74 drains in this stretch. At present the work of three mini bridges is going on at a brisk pace. The work of adjoining roads of both ends of these bridges is also going on.
The present work is estimated to be completed within a week and the road should be available for traffic in the first week of July.
The work on the first phase was done in 2015. From Jan 2, 2015, the road was closed for traffic. However, the concreting work began only on April 20, 2015, and the road was opened for the use of commuters on August 9, 2015. The second phase of work started on January 20 this year and the road has been closed since then.
Reason for delay of second phase work
The work on the second phase stretch of 33.38 km of the project was to be carried out at a cost of Rs 85.28 crore. This included asphalting of 21 km stretch from Gulagalale to Maranahalli and concreting of 12.38 km of stretch between Kempuhole to Addahole at a cost of Rs 63.104 crore. The asphalting was to be done for a width of 7 meters and concreting for 8 meters. However, GVR Infra Project, the firm which had got the contract did not start the work in December 2016 as per the schedule. The National Highway Authority of India then cancelled the contract and the work was taken up by the new contractors.
New technology
According to prominent officials of the contracting company which has done the second phase of expansion, first the old road was dug up and was set properly with the help of rollers. A layer of geotextile was laid. Above the layer of geotextile a 15 cm thick layer of gravel was applied. The reason for the gravel layer is to allow the rainwater to get filtered and flow to the drains that are made on both sides of the road. Above the layer of gravel, a 15 cm thick layer of 'dry lean concrete' was placed.
After this layer of concrete got soldified, a 30 cm thick layer of pavement quality concrete was laid using slipform paver machine. In between, dowel bars and tie bars, which connect two individual slabs was placed using this machine. A thin layer of curing solution was spilled over the edges and the top surface of the concrete. Due to this the water mixture inside the concrete did not get evaporated and immediate curing of the concrete was made easy.
Open for traffic in the first week of July
MP Nalin Kumar Kateel told reporters, "The second phase work of the Shiradi Ghat is completed. Construction of minor bridges is in its last stages. So in the first week of next month the road will be opened for vehicles. The 26 km stretch of Shiradi ghat is perfectly upgraded."