Iffco Chowk sinkhole: NHAI begins road repairs, bitumen work likely in two days

Reopening remains uncertain as officials will inspect the repaired stretch after subsurface treatment and assess whether it is safe for traffic

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has started restoring the road at Iffco Chowk, where a sinkhole developed on August 25, with officials saying the bitumen work is expected to be completed in two days if there is no further rain. However, the date for reopening the damaged stretch remains uncertain and will depend on further inspection and a review of the repair work, officials said.

Workers are filling the cavity in layers with soil and substrate, compacting each layer to strengthen the road before laying bitumen. (PARVEEN KUMAR/HINDUSTAN TIMES)

Highway officials said repair work began on Saturday, and the damaged portion is being filled in layers with soil and substrate material, with each layer being allowed time to settle before the next stage. The entire material is being rolled over to strengthen the subsurface.

“The repair of the road has started, and the work is being carried out in layers with soil and substrate material being filled up in the sinkhole, which is given time to settle. The entire material is being rolled over to strengthen the subsurface. It will take two more days to lay the bitumen over the damaged road, provided it does not rain again,” said an NHAI official.

Officials said the road repair had been delayed by intermittent rainfall in the city over the past two weeks. Regular spells of rain repeatedly filled the sinkhole, forcing workers to dewater the area and wait for the soil to stabilise before proceeding with the restoration.

The officials, however, did not give a definite date for reopening the stretch, saying the timeline would depend on further inspection and a review of the repair work after the subsurface treatment and filling are completed.

A portion of a sewage drain collapsed on August 25 on the Iffco Chowk service lane from the Delhi to Jaipur side, creating a large sinkhole and causing panic among commuters besides triggering congestion on the road. Two service lanes of the highway were barricaded following the incident.

The collapse was caused by a sewage line flowing under the road from MG Road towards Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, officials said.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) had also taken nearly one and a half weeks to repair the damaged pipeline at the Iffco Chowk sinkhole, as the heavy sewage flow into the drain slowed down the replacement work.

“We have replaced the damaged pipe at the sinkhole and also repaired the pipeline adjoining the damaged area. The authority has also started an exercise to identify all the sewer pipelines which are in damaged condition, and these will also be repaired,” said a GMDA official.

The official added that the entire pipeline from Iffco Chowk to Sikanderpur, which is in bad shape, will be repaired using machine-wound spiral lining technology.