UNNAO: It would take at least three more months before commuters experience a smooth ride on the newly inaugurated 63-km long Lucknow-Kanpur expressway.The first monsoon showers have bared the quality of sand compaction, with erosions visible at multiple locations along with cavities on the edges of the expressway.Under intense scrutiny from the time the first road surface slippage incident was reported on July 26, senior officials from the National Highways Authority of India have said that traffic diversions enforced due to presence of heavy machines, would remain effective till Aug 7. At present, Lucknow bound vehicles entering the expressway from Unnao and Kanpur are diverted on the other side over the 6-km long stretch where repair work is on.“The overall maintenance works would go on for three months as the first monsoon season would keep exposing the weak links,” said an officer.TOI has learnt that the quality of material used to prepare the top surface (bitumen, macadam, asphalt, gravel and mixtures) has been found satisfactory in the tests done during the preliminary probe.The slippage of road surface has been reported at three locations. Moreover, the top surface over a 300-metre wide stretch situated 10km away from Unnao entrance is being redone.The project worth Rs 4,200 crore was executed by PNC Infratech Limited, a construction company based out of Agra.It was inaugurated on July 13 by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, along with CM Yogi Adityanath.Regional officer, NHAI Uttar Pradesh (West), Gautam Vishal, said, “Moisture due to heavy rain has seeped inside the top layer of the expressway in the section which is under repair. As a preventive measure the entire section is being redone. We have asked the construction company to inspect the entire stretch and maintain the portions which seem susceptible. No cave-in of the carriageway or sub-structure has been reported and expressway is completely safe for commuters.“A source said the road slippage incident took place over an area where an underpass has been built to facilitate the movement of the local villagers and animals. “We are re-examining the top surface of the carriageway wherever structures such as culverts, underpasses and vehicular overpasses have been constructed to ensure such incidents do not recur,” the source added.On July 28, NHAI had debarred project manager of the construction company along with two independent engineers who were roped in as technical consultants to monitor the construction work along with quality standards from participating in any upcoming projects for the next two years. The group of three would not be able to apply for the tenders and bids that are floated through MoRTH, NHAI or NHIDCL. Probe was ordered to ascertain the cause that resulted in the damages and is still ongoing.During a round-trip on the expressway on Tuesday afternoon, TOI came across a fresh incident of what seemed like a ‘road surface ravelling’ near the 64-km long milestone. Adding to the woes of commuters, the 1.5 metre by 1 metre wide crack on the top surface has appeared on the stretch where instead of six-lane only three-lane are available for both Lucknow bound and Unnao bound commuters due to traffic diversions. In a hazard for commuters who opt to take a break on the paved shoulders on either side of the main carriageway, large cavities and erosion of the sub-structure could pose a risk to their safety at least at eight locations. While the brownfield portio (18km long) of the expressway offers a right of way (end to end width) of 35 metres, the greenfield portion (45km long) offers 90 metres wide right of way. The expressway was designed to safely maintain a speed of up to 120km per hour.Former chief engineer, UPPWD, Arun Kumar Sinha, said, “Unlike other expressways which provide a smooth experience to commuters at a high speed without disruptions, a drive on Lucknow-Kanpur expressway seems bumpy at stretches where no repair work is on. I have heard from commuters that rutting and pavement bumps could be felt at multiple places during the 63-km long. NHAI and other stakeholders should investigate what is causing these issues.“An 18-wheel truck driver, Sandeep Kumar, who was commuting on the access-controlled stretch on Tuesday raised a similar concern. Carrying stone boulders from Kabrai to Lucknow, Sandeep parked his truck on the paved shoulder to avoid blocking the main carriageway. “Soon I realised that the truck tyres had sunk in. I was unable to move the truck and have called a tow truck,” said the driver.
