The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has removed three officials associated with the construction and quality supervision of the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway project and blacklisted them from participating in any NHAI project for two years following a road subsidence incident. The authority also said repairs to the affected section have been completed and traffic has resumed normal operations.
The action follows an incident in which a section of the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway subsided within days of its inauguration. The officials barred include construction company's Project Manager and Deputy General Manager (Highways) Vivek Kumar Gupta, Independent Engineer Team Leader Surendra Kumar, and Resident Engineer Yatendra Kumar.
The Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, built at a cost of approximately ₹4,200 crore, was inaugurated on 13 July. A few days later, a video showing subsidence on a section of the road in the Korari area of Unnao district appeared on social media, drawing attention to the incident.
According to NHAI, surface slippage was detected at the site during routine route patrolling on 26 July. A joint team comprising officials from the authority and the construction company immediately visited the location and carried out a detailed technical inspection.
The inspection found that the issue was confined to the bituminous layer laid over the bridge deck slab. Officials stated that continuous rainfall, heavy traffic and water seepage through the joints could lead to such surface slippage.
The inspection further found that the bridge's foundation, substructure and superstructure remained fully intact. No structural damage or serious construction-related defect was identified during the investigation.
NHAI said repair work began immediately after the inspection. The damaged bituminous layer was removed and replaced with a new layer. Joint sealing and drainage arrangements were also improved to prevent rainwater from entering the roadway in the future.
According to the authority, all repair work has been completed and traffic on the expressway is now operating safely and normally. Following the incident, NHAI initiated disciplinary action against the officials concerned over issues related to quality control and project supervision.
The authority stated that similar action would be taken against officials and agencies in future cases where negligence in construction quality or project monitoring is found.
