Unnao: Having zoomed in on the poor drainage system as the key problem resulting in stagnation of water over the surface of Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, the concessionaire PNC Infratech has started taking preventive steps to ensure immediate discharge of excess water from vulnerable locations.Over the past week, heavy machines and two dozen earth movers have been deployed to puncture the saucer drain to dig up holes through which water can flow towards the rocky embankment instead of collecting over paved shoulders.A 300-metre-wide stretch on the Unnao-Lucknow section of the carriageway near kilometre 64, the location where slippage of the surface took place in July, has been repaired and restored.Barring 8-10 locations where slight bumps are being felt due to settlement of the road surface in the past, the overall commute on the e-way continues to be smooth, with motorists successfully maintaining speed of 80-100 km an hour.A senior officer from the National Highways Authority of India, said, “The team of experts from IIT-Kharagpur which surveyed the expressway pointed out towards the issues and suggested the immediate remedial measures that are being implemented by the concessionaire at current including the task of overhauling the drainage system.”Having identified the vulnerable locations where excess water collects over the paved shoulders or on the carriageways, the maintenance staff members have been deploying the earth movers to puncture the saucer drain.Constructed beyond the fence of the elevated section on both sides of the carriageways, the saucer drain is designed to channelise the excess water from the surface of the carriageway towards the stormwater systems.As rain continue to lash Lucknow, Unnao and Kanpur, the engineers decided to puncture holes into the saucer drain at vulnerable locations to facilitate the flow of the collected water towards the boulders and soil that have been arranged to create the sloping embankment towards the outermost portion of the elevated carriageway.“Excess water and moisture would not infiltrate towards the road median leading to problems in future,” explained a senior engineer from the authority deputed for supervision of work.
