Highways to have sheet barriers to curb accidents: Gadkari

In a major move aimed at curbing high number of road accidents, the road ministry has decided to fix galvanised sheet barriers on both flanks of the highways to stop them from being trespassed, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
"We have taken a decision yesterday. To prevent accidents, national highways across the country would be made acess-controlled by using galvanised sheets to insulate roads from trespassing," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said at the launch of a coffee table book 'The Golden Quadrilateral'.
The decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting yesterday.
Besides, he said, "fluorescent markings would be done to make driving safe during night. Also, proper traffic signals will be installed".

The project work is slated to start soon and some challenges are expected at some places having dense habitations across the highways, a highway official said.
"We would need to build bridges and underpasses for the local people so that they can access the road," he said.

Gadkari said apart from emphasis on taking measures to
prevent accidents, the government has been working for a makeover of the highways aesthetically.
The minister said greening of highways are being done under Green Highways Project and he planned developing Mumbai to Goa route via Sagari Mahamarg on the pattern of coastal highway between San Franscisco and Los Angeles.

The minister said the coastal highway in the US gave a view of the sea where driving was a pleasure and commuters could stop besides sea.
"We are planning to develop Mumbai to Goa Sagari Mahamarg on the same pattern," he said.
Besides, Gadkari said 1,300 road side amenities are planned across the country of which bids have been invited for 70.
On Golden Quadrilateral project, the minister said the work will be completed on it by next year.
He said his Ministry was committed to taking the length of the National Highways to 2 lakh km from the present 96,000 km and achieving 41 km of road building target by March 2017.

The Minister also unveiled a coffee table book titled 'The Golden Quadrilateral', authored by Bob Rupan and having a foreword by R C Bhargava.