Shamli: The newly inaugurated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is once again under scrutiny after fresh reports of soil subsidence and cracks on cement embankments emerged following three days of continuous rainfall. The latest trouble spot is a ramp at an intersection near Shamli’s Baburi area in UP where the NH-709 and Panipat-Khatima highway crosses the new corridor.National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) Baghpat unit, meanwhile, has constituted a special investigation team to “assess and inspect certain concern areas”. The team will comprise an NHAI engineer, a retired chief engineer, an authority representative and an independent technical audit agency.Project director (Baghpat — project implementation unit), Narender Singh, said on Saturday, “(NHAI) team will carry out core-cutting and layer-testing at 23 random locations along the expressway in the coming days. It will help examine the road’s edge lines, central alignment and overall structural quality to test the composition of the highway’s layers. The inspection will be carried out at night with necessary traffic diversions, not exceeding six hours.”Singh added: “The audit is aimed at ensuring transparency and addressing safety concerns before the monsoon intensifies.”Moreover, according to local officials, the service lane heading towards Butrada has suffered erosion at some points, while cement reinforcement laid along the overbridge edges to hold the soil has come loose in certain places, thereby opening up “sizeable cracks”. Also, electric poles erected along the service lane have been damaged due to erosion.A few underpasses built along the expressway remain waterlogged, a factor, officials said, “is also accelerating soil erosion along the edges”.Incidentally, this is not the first such incident on the Rs 12,000 crore expressway corridor. Stretches along the highway have reported alloy-wrecking potholes and damaged shoulders.The development has upset motorists and local villagers. Jaswir Singh of nearby Kasampur village said the highway has indeed brought development and jobs to the region, but appears to have been opened in haste. “It seems to have flaws that need urgent attention and repair,” Singh added. Mohammad Arshad of Butrada village said the sudden erosion seen at multiple spots after rainfall could turn into a problem and any negligence could cost lives.Since its inauguration, the 212-km access-controlled expressway — with a speed limit of 100kmph — has witnessed heavy traffic, particularly during weekends, with tourists and commuters increasingly using the corridor to access Uttarakhand. The expressway has reduced travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from around six hours to about two-and-a-half hours.
