Fresh cracks force detour on Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway weeks after launch
Fresh cracks have popped up again on the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, forcing a 1.5-kilometer traffic detour between kilometer 29.7 and kilometer 30.3.
Engineers spotted the new damage on August 8 and quickly started repairs to prevent things from getting worse, just weeks after the expressway's big July launch.
NHAI IIT-Kharagpur probe Lucknow-Kanpur cracks
Traffic is now squeezed onto one side of the road, causing slowdowns while crews rush to finish repairs by Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, NHAI and IIT-Kharagpur are investigating why these cracks keep showing up. They have collected samples from more than 60 locations along the expressway and even rolled out a laser-beam system to check pavement quality.
With tolls suspended, traffic has nearly doubled since toll collection was suspended; officials are also taking action against contractor PNC Infratech for poor performance as they try to get this major route back on track.