Hosangadi: Even two years after approval from the Railway Board, the proposed road overbridge (ROB) at the busy railway crossing in Hosangadi has not moved beyond the preliminary stage.

The project was approved by the Railway Board during the 2023–24 financial year. However, officials said that only the initial survey work has been completed so far.

According to a senior official from the Palakkad Railway Division, the final design of the bridge is yet to be decided. Authorities are still determining the exact length of the bridge and the points from where it will begin and end.

The Hosangadi railway level crossing is one of the busiest in the area and is used daily by thousands of people. Vehicles and pedestrians must cross the gate to reach several important locations, including Sri Madanantheshwara Temple, the Manjeshwar mini port, Bangra Manjeshwar Government High School, the Jain Basadi, the gram panchayat office, the sub-registrar’s office, SAT educational institutions and Infant Jesus educational institutions.

Local resident Basheer Kanila said that funds allocated by the government in 1995 for constructing an overbridge in the area were returned as they were not used on time. He said the opportunity to build the bridge has come again but there has been no consistent follow-up to push the project forward.

The railway line between Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram is one of the busiest routes, with trains passing frequently.

As a result, the Hosangadi level crossing gate is closed two to three times every hour. During morning and evening peak hours, long queues of vehicles form at the gate, often extending up to the nearby National Highway 66 and the adjoining service road.