Three-member Panel to inspect Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway from today; to suggest safety measures

Mysore/Mysuru: Days after the State Government announced the formation of a Technical Committee to conduct a comprehensive study and provide recommendations for necessary improvements to prevent accidents on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued an order constituting a Road Safety Committee for safety inspection of the Expressway.

The NHAI order, issued by Sunil Jindal, Chief General Manager, Road Safety Division, was sent on July 14 and was released to the media by Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha this morning.

The NHAI order said that a competent authority (NHAI) has constituted an Expert Committee comprising officers and advisors in order to carry out safety inspection of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Access Controlled Highway.

The Committee members are Sudershan K. Popli, Advisor Road Safety, Praveen Kumar, Deputy General Manager, RSO, Bengaluru and Jaivardhan Singh, Manager, Project Implementation Unit (PIU) Sohna in Haryana. The Committee members will visit the Expressway from July 17 (today) till July 20 and submit its report within 10 days of the completion of the visit.

NHAI sources told Star of Mysore that the Committee is responsible to suggest measures to ensure the safety of motorists on the Expressway following many accidents where over 100 people have lost their lives since its inauguration in March 2023.

Some of the measures that the Committee will look into are installation of speed cameras, installation of rumble strips and imposing stricter penalties for traffic violations. After inspection, the Committee will suggest safety measures including installation of crash barriers at places where maximum accidents have been reported.

Measures will also include improvement of drainage as water-logging has been reported at many places when it rained, sources added.

The Committee will identify road safety hazards including areas where accidents are likely to occur, such as sharp curves, narrow lanes and poor visibility. The Committee may also recommend improvements to the road infrastructure and improving signage.

The Committee will monitor road safety data including collecting data on accidents, injuries, and fatalities and use this data to identify trends and to assess the effectiveness of its safety measures.

Mysuru-Kushalnagar Highway works from September: MP

At a separate meeting at the DC Office this morning, MP Pratap Simha discussed the Mysuru-Kushalnagar section of NH-275 where a new four-lane Expressway is being built.

The MP met the officers including Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra and he looked into the issues concerning the workforce and ensured the smooth implementation of the project’s construction work.

The MP told reporters that the physical work on the Expressway will begin from Sept. 1, 2023 and it will be completed by December 2024.

“It is a Rs. 4,130 crore project to lay a 93-km-long Highway between Mysuru and Kushalnagar and tenders have been awarded for the works to be taken up in four packages from Paschimavahini in Srirangapatna to Guddehosur near Kushalnagar. The new road will join the Expressway between Mysuru and Bengaluru,” he said.

“The Centre is paying Rs. 600 crore as compensation for the land owners. The NHAI has already completed the alignment and design of the Expressway including bypasses, bridges and underpasses. Departments like Forest, Irrigation, Revenue, Energy and Horticulture have been asked to be ready to shift the existing infrastructure before the Expressway works begin and accordingly, funds have been released,” Pratap Simha added.