India, Aug. 14 -- Barely a month after opening, the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway is undergoing extensive repairs at several locations, with road stretches being cut open and rebuilt, damaged shoulders being fixed and drains being reworked, raising questions over construction quality and pre-opening inspections. A ground inspection found uneven road surfaces, cracks, drainage problems and signs of settlement near a bridge approach. The Uttar Pradesh Home Department has sought a status report from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The most extensive repair work was found on the Kanpur-Lucknow carriageway between km 28 and 35, where machinery, aggregates and bitumen were stacked along nearly seven km. At several points, newly laid stretches were being cut open and reconstructed. Also Read - TVK welcomes SC's stay of Madras HC ruling against jobs to kin of stampede victims Drainage has also emerged as a concern. Up to km 37.6, drains at five locations were being broken and reworked to improve water discharge. In some places, crash barriers were blocking drains, potentially affecting water flow. Experts said inadequate drainage can weaken the soil beneath the pavement and damage the road surface. At km 39.5, workers were filling bridge cracks, while repair work at km 39.8 had reduced traffic to one lane. Three major patches were visible up to km 47, with uneven surfaces reported at several points. A more serious issue was found near Niverna in Unnao, where the bridge approach showed signs of settlement, with concrete blocks becoming uneven and shifting. Near Kantha village, about 200 metres of road had suffered damage. PNC Infratech, involved in construction, has stepped up repair work following complaints. PNC manager Satya Narayan said there was no major problem near Niverna and attributed some defects to vehicle and construction machinery movement. Also Read - Jharkhand Protest: 300 unidentified people booked over violence, vandalism in Ranchi The Home Department has also sought details on whether the defects have implications for other PNC projects and whether the company has been debarred from projects. NHAI officials said the matter was under consideration. Meanwhile, several emergency telephone booths were found non-functional or unable to establish two-way communication with the control room, despite NHAI's assurance of assistance within 15 minutes. Service facilities too remain incomplete, with one site having a small restaurant and an under-construction building, while another has only land identified. The early repairs have raised questions over quality checks before the expressway was opened and accountability for work now being redone.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.