Pothole ridden highway; travel with great caution!

Team Udayavani, Sep 16, 2019, 3:43 PM IST

Potholes are the dominant population along all the national highways passing through DK district. One has to search for the road amongst the potholes of the national highway stretched between Mani-B C Road and Kuloor-Panambur. The only thing missing here is a road. Vehicle users passing through these stretches, pass under the dark cloud of extreme danger. Although, patch up work has been taken up, permanent solution is the need of the hour.

Mangaluru: The highways in the district which are lifeline for thousands of travelers is now converting into death traps. The present state can be depicted as “One knows not which pothole along which highway is lying in wait to claim whose life.”

Most parts of the two prominent national highways (NH 66 and NH 75) passing through the district are dominated by potholes, and traveling via these routes is a colossal challenge. The potholes existing along these stretches only successfully increase the heartbeat of the traveler. Lose your attention by a little and the vehicle will definitely end up in any one of the numerous potholes. The state of Bantwal – Belthangady – Mudigere NH 73 and Nanthoor – Moodbidri – Karkala NH 169 is no different.

Temporary repair

Considering the immense trouble being suffered by vehicle users to pass along the excuse of an existence of a highway, the highway authorities have finally come forward to carry out temporary repair work. But that is not permanent. Come one rain and potholes will definitely emerge again. Permanent solution to the persisting pothole problem is but a mirage.

Beneath the overpass

Service road or potholes?

Pumpwell overpass is an enigma. Due to its never-ever ending construction work, a service road has been created for the vehicles coming from Thokkottu towards Mangaluru. But the dilapidate state of the service road not only brings down the age of the vehicle passing through here, but also persistently claims lives. The road is nothing but potholes. There is a service road beneath Thokkottu overpass as well and its situation is also the same. The service road beneath B C Road overpass belongs to the same brotherhood.

Difficult to calculate the number of potholes

It is impossible to calculate how many potholes exist along which roads because, every other moment, one will find a pothole along the road. it is a calculation that will never end. In that too, the state of the highways within Mangaluru limits is simply horrendous. Although the highway department has finally woken up to undertake a little repair work, the persisting problem at Nanthoor, Pumpwell, Kottara, Kuloor, Baikampady and Panambur junction is beyond words.

Mani-BC Road is the path to hell

The highway turns into a path to hell when travelling via Panemangaluru, Melkar and Perna limits. It won’t be a lie to state that there is no road here in the first place. Every inch has been captured by potholes and travelling is insurmountable. The ups and downs faced by motorists passing on the potholes is really deplorable. If attempts are made to miss the pothole, one will surely not miss an accident.

One-and-a-half month limit to fill the potholes

From Nanthoor-Talapady, BC –Road- Surathkal, Kulshekhar-Karkala, and the roads along BC Road, Charmadi and other national highway routes have been taken over by potholes posing a major challenge to its users. Hence, the officials have been directed to fill up all the potholes along the highways within the months of October, informed MP Nalin Kumar.

Bus trip cut!

Buses are finding it impossible to keep time along the pothole ridden roads due to the cut in the vehicle speed and the circus it does bounding off the potholes. This is causing several problems. The completion among the buses is coupled with technical problems as well. Therefore, buses are cutting short their trips.

Stop the vehicle in a pothole and then pay the toll

At Brahmarakotlu, toll charges are being collected from vehicles even while the vehicle is standing in potholes. This is a mirror held to the state of the highways. Travel on either directions at the toll gates only to be welcomed by potholes.

After Brahmarakotlu, potholes will then greet the highway user near Panemangaluru Bridge, bend at Narikombu, Melkar, Kalladka and Mani. The size of the potholes here are big enough to actually change the direction the vehicle is attempting to travel. Not just those passengers travelling in normal buses, but passengers travelling in multi-axle buses too bounce along the route. Traffic jams lasting hours together is quite normal here.