Panel submits interim report on Sohna road collapse: Material quality in focus

The quality of materials used and the formation of a cavity could have contributed to the collapse of an elevated section of the under construction Sohna road on

The quality of materials used and the formation of a cavity could have contributed to the collapse of an elevated section of the under construction Sohna road on August 22, according to an interim report on the incident submitted to the national highways authority of India (NHAI).

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The report, prepared by a four-member high-level technical committee formed by the NHAI after the incident was submitted on Tuesday evening.

NHAI officials who reviewed the contents of the report said it attributed the failure of the structure to quality of concrete used in the section, inadequacy of epoxy bonding used to bind the concrete, the possible displacement of stressing cables used to support the elevated structure and the possible formation of a cavity in the span that was not visible from the outside.

Another NHAI official, privy to the report but not authorised to speak to the media, said it recommended that the concrete spans on the elevated structure and those cast at the construction yard should undergo non-destructive strength test to check for quality. “The concessionaire has also been asked to develop a standard operating procedure for bringing the concrete spans from yard to site and their erection. This process should be evaluated and proofed by the highway authority,” the official said.

Shashi Bhushan, the NHAI project director for Gurugram, said that the initial findings looked into the sequence of construction activities and other aspects. “The test reports from Shriram lab (on the concrete used) and those conducted by Central Road Research Institute, which were submitted by the concessionaire, will also be sent to the technical committee. A consolidated report based on these findings would be able to give exact reasons, which caused this incident,” he said.

The committee comprised VL Patankar, ex DG, (RD) MORTH, and ex-member, NHAI, AK Srivastav, advisor, NHAI, PG Venkataram, emeinent bridge expert, Vinay Gupta, eminent bridge expert. The members, when contacted for comment, said it was an internal matter and refused further comment.

A senior official of the contractor, Oriental Structures Pvt Ltd, said that they have also submitted reports to the authority and awaiting the final report in this matter.

The technical committee last month had made it clear that the contractor of the Sohna elevated road will not get any additional time for completing the project, scheduled for July 2021, on account of the delay due to the collapse.

The work on 6-km Sohna road elevated road project was suspended after the collapse of the span between pier 10 and pier 11 on August 22. It was only last week that partial resumption of work on the surface level was allowed after the NHAI officials conducted an inspection of the project. The total length of the project is around 21 km.