The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said that the road surface cave-in reported at Km 55+480 on the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor on 1 July was caused by localised water stagnation after rainfall the previous night.
In a clarification issued on Wednesday, 2 July, NHAI said the affected stretch was detected during routine route patrolling in the early hours of 1 July, after which restoration work was taken up immediately.
According to NHAI, the damaged portion was repaired on priority and traffic movement was maintained safely.
The authority said the cave-in took place at a location where the permanent cross-drainage system could not be commissioned.
The balancing culvert at Km 55+480 was designed to carry rainwater across the median and away from the carriageway.
However, NHAI said the culvert could not be connected and commissioned due to resistance from local residents.
According to the NHAI statement, local residents have not permitted integration of the drainage system and have instead been using the culvert opening as a vehicular crossing.
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NHAI said this left the intended cross-drainage arrangement non-operational, resulting in accumulation of rainwater along the carriageway during heavy rainfall.
The authority also said permanent slope protection and chute drain works at the location remain pending due to an ongoing land-related arbitration dispute.
NHAI said that despite repeated efforts, the concerned landowners have not permitted execution of these works.
As a result, permanent protection measures planned under the project design could not be completed at the site.
To address the situation, NHAI has started construction of an interim parallel drain of about 1.5 km.
The drainage gradient is being redesigned to carry rainwater safely up to the entry and exit location at Km 56+500, pending commissioning of the balancing culvert.
Images released with the clarification show the restored Km 55 stretch at Gogwan Jalalpur on the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, the parallel drain between the main carriageway and loop, ponding near the balancing culvert location and the drain leading towards rainwater disposal at Km 56+500.
NHAI said it is continuously monitoring the affected location and has deployed necessary resources to ensure smooth and safe traffic movement.
The pending permanent slope protection and chute drain works will be taken up after the land-related dispute is resolved and an unhindered work front becomes available.
