A year on, another hole develops on Hero Honda Chowk flyover
Tyres of at least five vehicles burst and a mini truck, carrying milk products, overturned because of the hole, an eyewitness said.
Chunks of concrete fell off the central lanes of the Hero Honda Chowk flyover early Wednesday, leaving a hole, about 70 inches by 70 inches, on the main Jaipur-Delhi carriageway of National Highway-48 for the second time since last April.
The crater developed near the same stretch that was repaired last June.
Tyres of at least five vehicles burst and a mini truck, carrying milk products, overturned because of the hole, an eyewitness said.
Traffic remained closed on the carriageway for about 11 hours. Traffic movement was stopped at 4am and resumed on two lanes of the four-lane carriageway at 3pm, traffic police said. The diversion, however, resulted in heavy congestion and traffic piled up to the Kherki Daula toll plaza.
In a statement, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the damage was near the flyover’s deck slab, which was reported damaged last year and later restored, in consultation with engineers from IIT-Bombay. The engineers had certified the flyover’s stability after testing.
“Despite the certification, occurrence of a similar pothole in the vicinity is a matter of serious concern,” an NHAI official said.
The hole was repaired by NHAI contractor Valecha Engineering Ltd around 10am. Despite repeated phone calls, Valecha Engineering Ltd general manager K Madhusudan Rao was not available for comment.