Hubli bypass to be aligned with NH-.4

Hubli bypass to be aligned with NH-.4
Source:www.hdmc.gov.in

Three Routes Chalked Out To Prevent Entry Of trucks Into Heart Of City

Hubli: The National Highways Authority of India has proposed three alignments for the Hubli bypass road linking Kusugal Road and Gadag Road with the Pune-Bangalore highway, to prevent the entry of heavy vehicles into the heart of the city, and so ease traffic congestion. .

The proposed bypass will divert the Mumbai, Karwar and Mangalore-bound heavy traffic originating from Solapur, Bijapur and Hospet towards Pune-Bangalore road, without these trucks having to enter the city and pass through Chennamma Circle in downtown Hubli, as at present.

The first alignment, which is 8.5 km long, will touch Pune-Bangalore highway at the Gabbur Cross. The 1O-km long second alignment is further away from the city, while the third one, which takes into account the long term expansion of the city, is 18 km long.

According to the design prepared by NHAI, land acquisition for the second alignment would pose minimum problems as it runs along an existing 10-ft wide cart track. This would be neither too close nor too far away from the city limits, and is thus most convenient for truckers.

All the three alignments would require construction of two overbridges on HubliGadag and Hubli-Bangalore railway lines, criss-crossing their path. The second
alignment is, however, most acceptable to local officials as well as the business community.

At present, around 2,000 iron and manganese ore-laden lorries originating from Toranagal and Hospet and bound for Karwar and Mangalore ports pass through Hubli, each making an average of 20 trips per month. Apart from causing traffic congestion, they pose a hazard on city roads.

A local gynaecologist and former chairperson of the. Sri Siddharooda Mutt Trust Committee, Pushpa Joshi, was killed on the spot when an ore-laden lorry rammed into the car in which she was travelling with her family, near Anchatgeri on Karwar Road on Sunday.

Following the accident, Hubli-Dharwad police commissioner Narayan Nadamani has fixed speed limits for-vehicles on two stretches of city roads. But given the volume of traffic, the maximum speed limit prescribed by him is not possible to achieve on those stretches.

Road Transport and National Highways advisory committee member Mahendra Singhi said local ministers Jagadish Shettar and Basavaraj Horatti should impress on Union transport and national highways minister of state K H Muniyappa of the need to take up construction of the bypass at the earliest.