The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has sanctioned nearly ₹3 crore to rectify the dangerous Bedekollamath curve on NH-48 near Hirebagewadi Ghat, around 18 km from Belagavi, after repeated accidents at the spot raised serious safety concerns.
The move comes following sustained follow-up by Belagavi City Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase, who had highlighted the risks posed by the stretch after more than 18 accidents, many of them fatal, were reported there, especially during the monsoon.
Acting on the concerns, experts from the Department of Civil Engineering at KLS Gogte Institute of Technology (GIT), Belagavi, conducted a technical inspection of the accident-prone stretch in July 2025. The inspection team included Prof. Archana Shagoti, Prof. Somanath Khot, and Prof. Kartik Kulkarni.
The GIT report pointed out several engineering flaws in the road geometry near the descending curve at Bedekollamath. According to the findings:
- The curve radius is only 220 metres, below the Indian Road Congress (IRC) standard of 230 metres for highways with an 80 kmph speed limit.
- The carriageway width narrows from nearly 11 metres to 10 metres along the curve and further reduces to 9.5 metres near the underpass, identified as the key accident hotspot.
- Overspeeding on the descending terrain and poor lane discipline were identified as major causes of accidents.
The report was submitted to NHAI after the survey was initiated at the request of the Police Commissioner.
Commissioner Borase stated that the steep gradient and sharp curvature make vehicle control difficult, particularly during rains, and welcomed NHAI’s decision to undertake corrective work.
Based on the recommendations made by the GIT team, NHAI is expected to redesign parts of the curve, improve road geometry, strengthen crash protection measures, and enforce stricter speed control mechanisms to reduce accidents on the stretch.