The district administration has directed the Department of National Highways to take safety measures on the Udupi-Manipal stretch of National Highway 169A, which is being widened and concreted.
Deputy Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati told The Hindu that she conducted an inspection of the Udupi-Manipal stretch with the officials of the Udupi City Municipal Council and the departments of National Highways and Police on Friday.
She had given them directions on the safety measures to be taken on this stretch with regard to the road divider and diversions at a few places. She had directed them to demarcate the road and put reflectors at road edges on the entire stretch immediately.
At a couple of points on this stretch, people had put soil between the road divider and created their own access near their business establishments and were now using it.
“I have told the officials to remove such access. There are designated points where this can be done. People cannot do it at their convenience. This would lead to people crossing the road and creating unnecessary traffic problems,” she said.
The widening and concreting work was under progress. It would take at least a couple of weeks for the widening and concreting work to be completed on the stretch. After work is completed, the concreted road would require a curing period of at least a couple of weeks.
The administration has also directed the departments to take necessary precaution at the spots where the Tiger Circle and Syndicate Circle were earlier located. Pedestrians should also not have problem while walking on this stretch.
“The tendency to drive speedily should be avoided by both small and big vehicles. Over-speeding is also causing traffic snarls. We do not want any untoward incident to take place,” she said.
Meanwhile, Assistant Executive Engineer, Department of National Highways, Ravi B., said that the department would follow the instructions of the Deputy Commissioner.
But the safety measures that will be taken now will be temporary in nature. Permanent safety measures could be implemented only after the widening of the stretch was completed. “We will see to it that people are not put to any trouble,” he said.
