Safety Concerns Mount Over Neglected Mangaluru Airport Road

Mangaluru: The primary road connecting Mangaluru city to the International Airport has become a source of frustration and danger for travelers. The 10-kilometre stretch, running from KPT Junction through Kavoor to the airport entrance, is currently plagued by poor maintenance and a complete lack of safety measures.

Despite its status as a high-profile access route to an international airport, the road falls far short of expected standards. What should be a model of infrastructure has been left neglected, with road beautification and essential maintenance largely ignored.

A Hazardous Drive Although the road is officially a four-lane highway, traffic flow is anything but smooth. The absence of basic visual aids makes driving treacherous, especially at night. The entire stretch lacks lane markings, road painting, and essential safety installations such as cat eyes, reflectors, blinkers, and delineators.

Furthermore, street lighting is inadequate, and there are no zebra crossings or signboards to guide motorists.

Accident-Prone Junctions The lack of speed breakers omitted presumably because it is a high-speed airport corridor has turned several junctions into accident zones. Key intersections at Yeyyadi, Maryhill, Padavinangady, and Kavoor have been identified as highly dangerous. Without humps or proper signage to check speed, these areas witness frequent accidents.

Structural Flaws and Two-Wheeler Risks While most of the road is wide, the section near the Maravoor railway overbridge remains a dangerous bottleneck. The road here has not been upgraded, forcing four lanes of traffic into a narrow passage.

For two-wheeler riders, the road presents specific, life-threatening hazards:

• Uneven Edges: In many spots, the tarred road level is significantly higher than the ground next to it. If a vehicle slips off the edge, regaining control is difficult.
• Concrete Gaps: The gaps between the road’s concrete slabs have widened over time. Motorcycle tires frequently get trapped in these crevices, leading to riders losing balance and crashing, particularly in heavy traffic.

Poor Visibility and Maintenance Maintenance crews appear to have overlooked the route entirely. Overgrown bushes on curves and untrimmed vegetation on dividers are blocking driver visibility. Additionally, soil and stones that washed onto the road near Maravoor during the last monsoon season are still uncleared, raising fears of further landslides.

Official Response Responding to the growing complaints, ACP (Traffic) Najma Farooqui stated that the police are aware of the situation. She confirmed that a proposal has been submitted to the Mangaluru City Corporation requesting immediate road painting and the installation of speed humps to ensure the safety of commuters.