“Smart” underpass in front of the town hall

aaron, Oct 18, 2019, 8:44 AM IST

Mangaluru: The work on a “Smart model underpass” in front of the town hall here has started. The underpass is modeled after the underpass at Majestic bus stop in Bengaluru.

The underpass will begin in the direction of Mangaluru central railway station from the mini Vidhana Soudha and will come up till the old Taj Mahal hotel located on the left hand side of the road on the left side of the town hall.

The company which won the bid for the underpass project has already started the preparation work. The underpass work will be done at the cost of Rs 6 crore and will have a complete are of 15 meters. The underpass will provide the much needed relief for pedestrians to cross between Lady Goshen and Tahsildar office.

The road between A B Shetty circle and clock tower has already been announced to be upgraded into a smart road and different work regarding it have already started. The underpass will also lie beneath the very same road.

Work started

Initially, the underpass work will be started at the park in front of the town hall and in preparation to this work, metal sheets have been placed around Gandhi park. The entire park has been closed down to keep the equipment required for the work and ensure the work being done does not affect outside. For the next few months, the access to the park may possibly be closed for those seeking the fresh air of a park. According to the officials, this problem may be faced for a few days but, along with the creation of the underpass, the Gandhi park above it will also be special beautified.

Skywalk cancelled!

The foundation stone for a skywalk near the town hall was laid in 2016 in association with the coastal development authority and Mangaluru City Corporation. The project was supposed to be constructed at the cost of Rs 1.57 crore and would be borne by the coastal development authority with Rs 78 lakh, urban development authority at Rs 71 lakh and the city corporation would provide Rs 7 lakh. But the project which was stuck at the foundation stone level has now be completely cancelled and presently, there is hope for the construction of the underpass.

Underpass work started

The preparatory work for the construction of the underpass in front of the town hall under the smart city initiative has already started. The underpass is being constructed to make it convenient for pedestrians to cross from the railway station side to the other side of the road. This is being implemented under the smart concept – Mohammed Nazeer, Managing Director, Smart City