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NHAI: Cracks on Gurugram’s Iffco Chowk barricaded off
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has barricaded a damaged portion of the Iffco Chowk flyover and called in experts for advice on repairing the expansion joint. Two cracks have developed on the flyover, and traffic will be allowed on only two lanes on the affected stretch. It is estimated that the repair work will take around one week to complete.
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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Tuesday said that it has barricaded the damaged portion on the middle of the parallel Iffco Chowk flyover and has now called in experts to seek advice for repairing the expansion joint.
Two cracks — one around 50-feet long and the other a smaller one — developed on the flyover, which takes traffic from Delhi towards the Jaipur side. Due to barricading, the traffic on the four-lane flyover will be allowed only on two lanes on the affected stretch.
The highway authority had carried out some repairs on Monday but due to the movement of high-speed traffic, the cracks on the expansion joint have opened up again.
Mohammad Safi, regional officer, Delhi NHAI, said, “We have barricaded the stretch to prevent any untoward incident and are seeking expert advise to get the portion properly repaired,” he said.
Officials privy to the matter said that it will take around one week to repair the damaged stretch, and would be carried out according to the recommendations of an expert committee, which is being formed by the headquarters. The NHAI on Monday had said that they were aware of the matter and materials have been brought in for repair.
A team of NHAI official visited the spot on Tuesday afternoon and it was decided that expert advise will be sought and the repair of the expansion joint will be carried out by supporting it from under the bridge so that it can withstand the weight and get strengthened.
Another senior NHAI official, who is privy to the matter, said that a committee of experts is being constituted and repairs will be carried out on the basis of their recommendations.
A senior traffic police official said that though the road has been barricaded but there has been no need for diversion of vehicles.
The Iffco chowk parallel flyover has been prone to damage since it became operational in 2019. In August 2021, the retaining wall of the flyover collapsed after a sewage drain below it got damaged due to heavy rain. The drain and the retaining wall were later repaired and the flyover was made functional.
The 84-metre flyover was constructed at a cost of ₹38.73 crore and was opened for traffic in February 2019. The flyover was constructed as part of a larger project to build underpasses and flyovers along Iffco Chowk, Signature Tower Crossing and Rajiv Chowk to decongest the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway.
