On January 28, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will lay the foundations for a basket bridge over the Panchaganga River and a bridge connecting the city entrance of Kolhapur to a flyover.
As planned, the minister will arrive on the evening of Jan 27 and visit the Mahalaxmi temple. The following day, he will travel to Hubbali in Karnataka before returning to Kolhapur to see Narsinhawadi.
In the evening, he will lay the cornerstone for the basket bridge that would span the Panchaganga river and National Highway-48 between Pune and Bengaluru. The bridge will be raised even higher to serve as a fly-over bridge, connecting the NH-48 to the city's entry at Shahu Market Yard.
"The bridge and the FOB will reduce traffic congestion at the city's entrance," said Dhananjay Mahadik, a former Lok Sabha member. It will also help keep traffic flowing during the flood. The basket bridge will improve the city's aesthetics. When I was elected to the Rajya Sabha, I followed the idea again, and the minister approved funds."
Both bridges are part of National Highway 48's six-lane expansion project for the Kagal-Satara section between Pune and Bengaluru. After laying the foundation for the basket bridge and FOB, Gadkari will leave for Delhi.