Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A large, tunnel-like pothole has appeared on a flyover built at a cost of around Rs 88 crore over a railway line in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district. A video showing the damaged stretch has gone viral on social media.
The flyover is located on National Highway 730, which connects Bahraich with Delhi. The damage was noticed after three consecutive days of heavy rainfall in the area.
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A passerby who spotted the pothole placed a red shirt on a piece of wood at the spot to alert motorists and pedestrians to the danger. The visuals were later recorded and circulated on social media.
HEAVY RAINFALL LEADS TO ROAD DEPRESSION
The viral video shows a large cavity beneath the road surface of the flyover, giving it a tunnel-like appearance. The damage raised concerns as vehicles and pedestrians use the flyover to cross the railway tracks.
Following the circulation of the video, officials associated with the National Highway and representatives of the construction firm inspected the site and began repair work.
Ashish, the chief project manager of Vijay Construction, said a minor crack had appeared at the spot before the heavy rainfall. According to him, rainwater seeped through the crack over three consecutive days, causing the soil underneath to settle and resulting in the depression.
“This is not a structural failure; the soil settlement simply created a depression in one spot,” Ashish said.
He said the affected stretch is around 100 metres long. While the depression itself is localised, a longer section is being repaired as a precaution because of the sustained rainfall.
REPAIR WORK UNDERWAY
The construction firm said the damaged portion would be filled with DBM, or Dense Bituminous Macadam, and allowed to settle for a few days.
Ashish said the issue was not major and that repair work was being carried out promptly to prevent any accidents. He added that the road is expected to be fully cleared within a week.
The visuals from the site show workers from the construction firm inspecting the damaged section and carrying out repair work on the flyover.
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With inputs from Abhishek Verma
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
