NHAI to Build 13-km Service Roads, 6 Foot Overbridges on Kundapur-Talapady NH-66 Stretch

In its big initiative to increase road safety and facilitate pedestrian movement, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will develop more than 13 km of service roads and six-foot overbridges (FoBs) along the commercial Kundapur-Talapady section of National Highway 66.

The ₹72-crore project is in response to long-standing grievances of residents and officials in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts about recurrent accidents and dangerous pedestrian conditions on the stretch. Work will commence after the monsoon.

Service roads will traverse major accident-prone locations, enhancing local connectivity and offering safer parallel corridors to the highway. Proposed stretches are:

• Koteshwara (0.83 km)
• Beejadi-Thekkatte(3.5 km)
• Saligrama (1.02 km)
• Ambagilu (1 km)
• Balaipade-Udyavara (1.97 km)
• Bada Yermal (2 km)
• Hejamady (0.75 km)
• Mulky (0.5 km)
• Padupanambur(0.31 km)
• Haleyangadi (0.55 km)
• Beeri (0.7 km)

Apart from the service roads, NHAI will provide six-foot overbridges to enhance pedestrian safety at:

• Mahesh Hospital in Brahmavar
• Nittur, Udupi
• Thenka Yermal
• Bappanadu Temple, Mulky
• Mukka Junction
• Yekkur, near Fisheries College in Mangaluru

A service road connecting Mahesh Hospital and Shamli Lawn in Brahmavar has also been considered under the plan.

The improvements were sanctioned following talks with district administrations and local police, who highlighted numerous safety loopholes along the corridor. NHAI authorities promised that infrastructure for safety will be given the highest priority before full-fledged construction is initiated.

The Kundapur-Talapady section is a vital lifeline connecting coastal Karnataka with several towns and functioning as a principal trade route. The new infrastructure will reduce accidents, facilitate convenient local travel, and enable safer pedestrian movement within cities.