Hundreds of road users who had been upset with the battered road condition at the hairpin curves of Agumbe Ghat can heave a sigh of relief as the National Highways Division of the Karnataka Public Works Department will soon undertake restoration of the affected stretches.
“Annual maintenance works have already started from Hebri towards Agumbe while affected stretches of Malpe-Tirthahalli NH 169A till about Someshwara have been fixed,” a senior NH-PWD engineer told The Hindu on Saturday (January 3, 2026). Battered stretches on Agumbe Ghat would be fixed in about a week, he added.
Agumbe Ghat has been a crucial link between Udupi and Shivamogga/ Chikkamagaluru districts. Over the years, vehicular traffic, particularly the number of private cars have increased manifolds with tourists visiting natural and religious attractions in these districts, including Sringeri, Horanadu etc.
Stretches worn out
Bitumen surface had worn out at majority of the 14 hairpin curves along the about 10 km Ghat stretch, even as potholes and craters were formed during the prolonged Monsoon in 2025. Besides making navigation difficult for drivers, the battered stretches had also been causing traffic pileups because of the slow movement of vehicles.
