Gurugram: NHAI puts up warning system on highways

NHAI officials said such electronic warnings and measures against fog are part of the annual winter protocol and are reactivated each year as visibility dips.

Amid rising smog and poor visibility on expressways, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) have begun displaying warnings and instructions for safe commutation on high-speed corridors through electronic billboards, said NHAI officials on Tuesday.

Electronic billboards showing warnings on Sohna Elevated Road. (HT)

According to NHAI officials, highway patrol vehicles equipped with red/green blinking batons and public address (PA) broadcast systems displaying speed warnings, lane guidance and fog-safety instructions, along with cranes, are being deployed on dense foggy patches of Delhi-Gurugram-Jaipur (NH 48), Dwarka Expressway and Sohna Elevated Road to guide traffic and prevent accidents.

NHAI officials said such electronic warnings and measures against fog are part of the annual winter protocol and are reactivated each year as visibility dips.

Chirag Mittal, deputy manager (technical) at NHAI’s regional office in Haryana, said the preparations for the safe entry and exit of motorists on expressways started in November. “All contractors and engineering teams were alerted to maintain faded road markings, provide delineators and median markers. Awareness measures are also being implemented among heavy vehicle owners, especially truck drivers, to travel at a speed of 30 kilometres per hour on foggy patches and install reflective tapes,” said Mittal.

“Commuters have been encouraged to share GPS coordinates of accident-prone locations, so that others could be cautioned in advance while entering the carriageway. Our patrolling teams make traffic-related announcements during late-night and early-morning hours through microphones when visibility drops to extremely low levels,” Padhi said.

PK Kaushik, project director of the Sohna elevated road, said electronic billboards and variable message signages (VMS) are being utilised to convey real-time information to drivers, such as traffic updates, road conditions, weather alerts, or safety messages. “Highway lights are inspected routinely and these are made operational early in the evening to assist motorists who struggle to find a guided path on expressways,” Kaushik said.

Officials said to enhance visibility, old or damaged road studs along the edge lines of the expressways would be replaced with solar studs. “Metal beam crash barrier (MBCB) posts, hazard object markings and damaged road signs have been placed to prevent vehicles from deviating from their path and reduce accident severity,” said Padhi.

To be sure, traffic police and the regional road transport suthority (RTA) had already installed reflective tapes on more than 3,000 vehicles in November as part of their accident prevention drive.