Even as key railway infrastructure projects in the city continue to face delays, the proposed Road Over Bridge (RoB) at the Second Railway Gate (LC No. 382) in Tilakwadi appears to be moving forward once again. A team of senior officials from the South Western Railway recently inspected the project site and gathered details of the proposed construction. Discussions on the project are now expected to be held with the Deputy Commissioner.
The proposed RoB is estimated to cost ₹32.43 crore and has a completion timeline of 1.5 years. The tender for the project was floated in March last year, and the contract has already been awarded to a private company based in Hubballi. Railway authorities have also formally requested the district administration to make arrangements for traffic diversion during the construction period.
According to officials, the bridge will have a total length of 405 metres and a width of 7.30 metres. On Monday, a team led by Muthyukumar, Assistant Executive Engineer of the ROB Division, carried out an on-site assessment of the location.
The project had remained in limbo for some time due to opposition from local residents and business owners, along with ongoing work on the underpass (RUB) at the Fourth Railway Gate. Concerns have also been raised over the fact that the Phase-2 work of the Third Gate RoB has still not commenced, despite one side of the bridge already being operational. Similarly, the RUB work at the Fourth Gate is yet to be completed.
The delay in earlier projects has led many residents to question the planning and execution of multiple railway crossing projects being taken up simultaneously across Belagavi.
The issue was recently reviewed during a development meeting chaired by MP Jagadish Shettar, who also raised the matter prominently during a Railway Department meeting in Hubballi. Following the latest inspection by railway officials, there are indications that the Second Gate RoB project may now gather pace.
However, citizens continue to demand better urban planning and traffic management before work begins, particularly as the proposed RoB is expected to impact connectivity between Congress Road, Vaccine Depot Road, and adjoining residential areas.