Mysore/Mysuru: The construction of four Road Under Bridges (RUB) along the 41.5-kilometre Outer Ring Road (National Highway-275 K) in Mysuru has begun.

Railway tracks intersect the roads at four locations and the Road Under Bridges are being constructed at a cost of Rs. 100 crore, sanctioned by the Central Government.

These locations are the RBI Junction area, near Belavatha at the Mysuru-Bengaluru double railway track, near the Royal Inn Junction at the KRS Road-Ring Road Mysuru-Arsikere railway level crossing, and between H.D. Kote Road and Nanjangud Road near J.P. Nagar.

The works have been taken up by the Karnataka Public Works Department’s National Highway (NH) Division. Bengaluru-based Siddhartha Construction Company has been awarded the tender for all four Road Under Bridge projects.

The Outer Ring Road was developed and constructed by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in a phased manner and was later handed over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

About a year-and-a-half ago, the then MP Prathap Simha pursued the matter with the Centre and met Union Minister for Transport Nitin Gadkari and other officials to secure the Rs. 100 crore sanction and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) approval for the two-way traffic plan to solve the traffic problems caused by the one-way traffic.

Officials have stated that, the work is progressing slowly due to need to seek clearances from Railway Division and respective State Government Departments and to make arrangements for ongoing rain and vehicle traffic. The work is expected to take another year to complete.

Every day, 40 to 50 workers are working on each RUB, and arrangements have to be made to avoid disrupting traffic, which is causing delays, according to officials from the NH Division.

Once the RUBs are built at all four locations, not only will the traffic problems on Ring Road be resolved, but the vehicle movement on the goods railway track route carrying raw materials to the RBI Paper Mill will also be free from obstruction.