Delhi-Dehradun Expressway: Just three months after its inauguration, the Delhi-Dehradun expressway has come under scrutiny after large potholes appeared on a stretch of the newly built Rs 12,000-crore Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Economic Corridor. A viral video showing the damaged section has sparked concerns over the quality of the highway's construction.
According to Jagran, two deep potholes appeared near the Lisad flyover on the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor following heavy overnight rain on Tuesday. At least four vehicles, including a bus, were reportedly damaged after hitting the potholes.
The 210-km highway connects Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, linking Akshardham in Delhi to Dehradun and reducing travel time to around 2.5 hours.
WATCH VIDEO
A biker shared a video online showing the massive potholes on the newly built Delhi-Dehradun Motorway near Hathi Karoda village in Shamli. The 212-km motorway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14.
In the video, the motorist claims that "four to five vehicles lost their balance" right in front of him due to the potholes. He further says that at least two cars suffered bent alloy wheels after accidentally hitting the potholes. The video then goes on to show the damaged alloy wheel of a vehicle.
NHAI begins repair work
After the video went viral on social media, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) initiated repair work by filling the potholes and deploying personnel to the site.
Responding to a complaint on X (formerly Twitter), NHAI wrote, "NHAI would like to inform that the road surface cave-in at Km 55+480 on the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor occurred due to water stagnation following rainfall, coupled with constraints in commissioning the permanent cross-drainage system at the location."
"As an interim measure, NHAI has commenced construction of a parallel drain over approximately 1.5 km long and is redesigning the drainage gradient to ensure safe disposal of rainwater until the permanent drainage system can be commissioned."
However, potholes located a short distance away remain unattended.
Shamli witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday night, leading to waterlogging in several areas creating two large potholes. On Thursday morning, motorists travelling from Delhi to Dehradun were unable to spot the potholes in time, causing several vehicles to get stuck and sustain damage.
Meanwhile, the six-lane motorway, which has significantly improved connectivity between Delhi and Dehradun, has been witnessing heavy traffic, especially on weekends. The highway has reduced travel time from Delhi-NCR to Uttarakhand from around six hours to approximately two hours.