The 26 km section of Shiradi Ghat on Bengaluru-Mangaluru National Highway 75 will be converted to four lanes, as announced by Union Road Transport Minister Nitin GadkarI. Since then, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a call for bids for the project's engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) mode. According to the request for proposals (RFP) issued by NHAI on December 15, the project, to be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 19.76 billion (excluding GST), entails widening and improving the existing two-lane concrete road into four lanes from Maranahalli in Hassan district (current Km 237) to Addahole in Dakshina Kannada district (current Km 263). According to the RFP, the project must be finished within two years of the contract being awarded, and the contractor must maintain the project highway for an additional five years. Despite the NHAI opening bids on Monday, January 2, no bids had been received. The Authority was thinking about delaying the deadline for bid submission by another two weeks to give potential bidders more time to familiarise themselves with the project's location and other specifications. The project also needs to clear the forest and wildlife because the highway runs through a reserve forest area (Kagenari Reserve Forest). Tunnel bypass not feasible Mr. Gadkari had informed the Lok Sabha on December 8 that the much-discussed tunnel bypass project for the Ghat section was found to be impractical in response to a question from Nalin Kumar Kateel, a Dakshina Kannada MP, regarding the status of Shiradi Ghat. Therefore, the Ministry has decided to widen the current road while also improving the geometrics by putting in place suitable structures. The Minister stated that he had already given the Ministry the go-ahead to create a thorough project report for widening the current two-lane road into a four-lane one. The National Highways Division of the Karnataka Public Works Department is strengthening the Ghat stretch after it was severely damaged by heavy rains in 2018 and 2019, with the embankment of Kempu Hole collapsing in at least 21 locations. According to PWD sources, the micro-piling and strengthening of the damaged embankment as part of the permanent restoration work, which is estimated to cost 26 crore, will be finished before the monsoon. See also: Nitin Gadkari approves four-laning of NH-753LNHAI invites bids for 4-laning of road in Karnataka