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Fresh cracks trigger 1.5-km diversion on Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway
The latest diversion comes a day after repairs were completed on an adjoining damaged stretch at km 30.7, where traffic was restored on Saturday morning. The fresh cracks, detected about 400 metres away, led engineers to begin removing the pavement over a longer stretch and lay fresh layers.
The Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway saw another traffic diversion on Saturday after fresh cracks were detected at km 30.3, prompting engineers to take up reconstruction of nearly one kilometre of the carriageway instead of carrying out a surface-level repair.
The latest diversion comes a day after repairs were completed on an adjoining damaged stretch at km 30.7, where traffic was restored on Saturday morning. The fresh cracks, detected about 400 metres away, led engineers to begin removing the pavement over a longer stretch and lay fresh layers.
The new work has necessitated a 1.5-km traffic diversion between approximately km 29.7 and km 30.3, with vehicles being moved through the Lucknow-side carriageway. Traffic slows down and, at times, comes to a halt when the volume increases, officials said.
Engineers involved in the inspection said cracks had appeared at three locations, each around 10 metres apart, besides two other locations roughly 20 metres apart. The decision to reconstruct the larger stretch was taken to prevent the cracks from developing into further settlement or pavement failure.
The pavement work was expected to continue through Saturday night, with traffic likely to be restored from Sunday morning, subject to the resurfaced stretch being found fit for movement, officials said.
The latest intervention comes as an IIT-Kharagpur team, along with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), intensifies its technical examination of the expressway following repeated pavement failures since its opening.
On Saturday, the NHAI and IIT-Kharagpur team collected samples from more than 60 locations along the expressway. The samples will be tested at IIT-Kharagpur laboratories to assess pavement quality and construction parameters and determine whether the failures are limited to the surface or involve underlying layers, material quality, compaction or drainage, officials said.
The investigation is also using a vehicle-mounted laser-beam system to scan the road surface and assess variations in pavement characteristics, including the depth and condition of materials. The data will be analysed alongside physical samples collected from the affected stretches.
The latest diversion follows the reopening on Friday of a section around km 64, where a roughly 350-metre stretch associated with a bridge had been reconstructed. The damage had forced traffic onto a diversion of about five kilometres for nearly five days.
The 63-km, ₹4,200-crore expressway was inaugurated on July 13 and has reported repeated cracking and pavement failures during its first monsoon. The NHAI has suspended toll collection and initiated action against the concessionaire.
Traffic on the expressway has nearly doubled since toll collection was suspended, adding to the challenge of carrying out repairs while keeping the corridor operational.
The NHAI has initiated proceedings to declare PNC Infratech a non-performing contractor, while action has also been initiated against officials associated with the project. Toll collection will remain suspended until the damaged portions are restored.
