Traffic police personnel facilitating movement of vehicles from Mangaladevi plying on Morgan’s Gate-Jeppinamogaru Road towards Thokkottu on National Highway 66 in Mangaluru, on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
With traffic volumes multiplying at Jeppinamogaru Junction, where Morgan’s Gate-Jeppinamogaru Road meets National Highway 66 (NH 66), traffic police mull over installing traffic signals, while the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) feels the traffic logjam can be managed with the spur road below the Netravathi bridges connecting Kadekar with Jeppu Patna.
The opening of the two twin Railway Under Bridges (RuBs) at Mahakalipadpu since January 25 has resulted in a major shift in vehicular traffic from Bhagwan Mahaveer (Pumpwell) Circle to Jeppinamogaru (Jeppu Patna)-Morgan’s Gate-Jappinamogaru four-lane Road. Vehicles from Mangaladevi city bound towards Thokkottu and beyond would take a right turn to NH 66 at the junction, while vehicles going from Pumpwell Circle towards Mangaladevi city would take a right turn on NH 66 towards Morgan’s Gate Road. In both instances, vehicular movement on the busy Kanniyakumari-Panvel NH gets affected.
On Tuesday, personnel from the traffic police department, Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. (MSCL), Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), and NHAI conducted a joint inspection to examine the modalities of easing traffic congestion at the junction.
30% reduction
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) K. Ravi Shankar told The Hindu that since the opening of the Mahakalipadpu twin RuBs, there has been about 30% reduction in vehicular traffic moving through the Pumpwell Circle-Karavali Junction stretch on Kankanady Old Road as well as Bypass Road. The traffic shifted to the newly opened four-lane road, he said.
While the department has deployed personnel to man the traffic at Jeppinamogaru Junction, it appeared difficult, especially during peak hours, due to the heavy incoming traffic, Mr. Shankar said.
The issue would be discussed in the forthcoming Road Safety Committee meeting on February 5, and a proposal would be made to install signals, he added.
Spur road
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) feels the spur road connecting Kadekar with Jeppu Patna, passing beneath Netravathi bridges, can accommodate the traffic from Pumpwell Circle towards Mangaladevi.
| Photo Credit:
H.S. MANJUNATH
While MSCL was constructing the four-lane Jeppinamogaru-Morgan’s Gate Road, the MCC constructed a seven-metre-wide concrete road connecting Jeppinamogaru Kadekar with Jeppu Patna that passes beneath the twin Netravathi Bridges.
This road, says NHAI Managaluru Project Director Abdulla Javed Azmi, could take the traffic from Pumpwell towards Mangaladevi after banning right turns on NH 66 towards the new four-lane road. If necessary, MCC could further widen this stretch, he said.
The issue of vehicles from Mangaladevi towards Thokkottu taking the right turn to NH 66 at the junction remains to be addressed, he said, adding that the issue would be discussed at the Road Safety Committee meeting.
Published – February 03, 2026 08:18 pm IST
