A portion of the Mangaluru-Solapur National Highway 169 that was closed for a month between Ganjimutt and Yedapadavu following destablisation of the existing highway on Yedapadavu Hills, has been opened for traffic, albeit through the Yedapadavu bypass, from this week. The opening has brought a big relief to hundreds of daily commuters on the Mangaluru-Moodbidri-Karkala stretch.
The existing carriageway passing through the Yedapadavu Hills had developed cracks after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began constructing the bypass through hill-cutting, following which the highway had to be closed for a month from February 10. Manglauru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy had issued a notification prohibiting vehicular movement through the affected stretch and directing their movement on alternative routes.
As local vehicles and route buses were made to ply on diverted route, through Daddi Cross, Pumar Padavu Cross, Manjanakatte Cross, Arjuna Kodi, Eshwara Katte Cross and Muchhur Cross, residents of Yedapadavu town had raised concerns as they had to walk longer to avail bus services.
Mangaluru City North MLA Y. Bharath Shetty, who visited the spot after the road closure, reportedly coaxed the owner of a land parcel adjacent to the affected stretch, to allow for a temporary road. Consequently, local vehicles and route buses operated on this narrow make-shift road.
