Steel dividers installed along the steepest section of Kalhatty Ghat Road in Nilgiris

This is to prevent vehicles from veering into the wrong side of the road

Steel dividers to prevent vehicles descending the Kalhatty Ghat Road from veering into the opposite lane to avoid speed-breakers designed to limit the speed of vehicles, have been installed along the steepest section of the Nilgiris’ most dangerous road.

According to officials from the highways department, the section where the steel dividers have been installed is the steepest section of the road.

“Due to the gradient, speed-breakers have been installed to limit the speed of vehicles which are descending the road, while the lane used by vehicles climbing the road is free of the speed-breakers.

This design is because speed-breakers in the lane used by ascending vehicles will make it very difficult for them to be able to climb the section,” said an official from the highways department.

Officials said along this stretch, which is only a few-hundred meters in length, the road ascends one meter vertically for every six meters of road.

However, due to this design, vehicles descending the ghat road mostly veer into the right-side of the road, to not have to slow down for the speed-breakers, which puts motorists at risk of accidents.

There have been complaints from motorists that descending vehicles veer into the wrong lane at high speed, and this could also put the vehicles at risk from brake failure, and lead to accidents.