Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari,recently posted on Twitter that The project to turn the 187-kilometre-long stretch of the National Highway 17 between Kundapur in Karnataka and the state’s border with Goa into a four-lane highway will be completed by the end of this year .
Gadkari said that ‘four-laning’ of the 173-kilometre-long stretch of the highway or about 92.42 per cent of the project had already been completed. The remaining project would be completed by December 2022.
The stretch – an important coastal highway link between the western and the southern regions of the country – has Arabian Sea coast on one side and the Western Ghats on the other side, with a magnificent scenic view.
The union minister said that the strategic highway passed through a variety of terrains with almost 50 per cent of the length going through rolling terrain (45 km) and mountainous terrain (24 km).
“It connected major cities and towns along the way including Panvel, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Panaji, Margao, Karwar, Udupi, Surathkal, Mangalore, Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari,” he added.
Gadkari said that the development of the highway had helped in providing a new impetus to economic development in the project influence area with multi-fold opportunities for new commercial and industrial establishments. He said that it had led to creation of direct and indirect jobs for the local population.
Further, according to the minister, the project would reduce travel time, prevent accidents, optimize vehicle operating costs and help in fuel savings due to smoother road and reduce congestion for inter and intra state commuters.
