Mangalore(DHNS): Shiradi Ghat road that connects Mangalore and Bangalore will be closed for vehicular movement for six months starting from December 1.
The 26-km stretch from Gundia in Dakshina Kannada district to Maranahalli in Hassan district will be concretised at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore.
In a district level meeting on Shiradi Ghat development on Friday, National Highways Engineering Department Executive Engineer C Nataraj said the work will be taken up in two packages.
Work will start simultaneously on both sides and will be completed by May 30. No vehicle can be allowed to travel on the road during the construction period, he said.
DK Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim ordered the department to conduct a feasibility study of five alternative routes when the ban on Shiradi Ghat is in force.
Though Charmadi-Mudigere route and Mani-Sampaje-Madikeri route are picked as convenient alternative routes, the officials from PWD and KRDCL said that traffic on both the roads has already exceeded the carrying capacity and therefore, there is a need to explore other options too.
The DC has directed the PWD department to submit the feasibility report by August 15.
