To make the state’s roads safer and reduce the number of accidents, the state government has decided to improve 4,000 km of roads with the aid of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
According to a recent survey, Karnataka accounts for nearly 10% of the road accidents in the country.
To make the state’s roads safer and reduce the number of accidents, the state government has decided to improve 4,000 km of roads with the aid of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
CM Udasi, minister for public works, said, “Taking serious note of the poor condition of major district and taluk roads, we have decided to improve 4,000 km of roads in the state at Rs13,130 crore. Tenders have already been floated, and we will finalise the tender process as early as possible. Work will likely commence from next month.”
Several roads, including the Magadi-Koratagere Road, will be improved with assistance from the ADB. The World Bank had approved a loan of $350 million (nearly Rs175 crore) to accelerate the development of the core road network through the Second Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (KSHIP II), Udasi said.
Udasi added that the government had identified about 25,000 km of the most important traffic corridors. These stretches of road have been designated as the state’s core road network.
The KSHIP II will finance improvements in 1,231 km of road, making single-lane roads double-lane ones.
This project follows the first $360 million Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project (KSHIP I), implemented from 2001 to 2007, which has improved and maintained 2,385 km of state highways and major district roads.
Under this project, while the share of state highways which are under good condition has increased from 5% to 35%, the travel time in key road corridors has decreased by 37%.
Udasi reiterated that the state has already decided to levy toll on those using state highways. Toll collection is set to begin shortly. “We will levy tax for about 3,000 km roads developed under KSHIP and KRDCL,” he said.
Meanwhile, Roberto Zagha, World Bank country director for India, announced that the acceleration of the road development programme and attention to road safety as envisaged under this project would help the state realise faster social and economic benefits, and spur more investment.
“This loan from the World Bank, we hope, will help the government of Karnataka leverage private sector financing through economically viable public private partnerships in accelerating the development of state highways,” said Venu Rajamony, joint secretary, department of economic affairs.
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