The much-anticipated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway suffered a major setback after heavy rainfall on Sunday caused a portion of the under-construction highway to collapse near the Bhagwanpur underpass in Saharanpur district.

The incident occurred in the second phase of the expressway’s development, which stretches from Baghpat to Lakhnor.

The sudden cave-in was triggered by significant soil erosion following the downpour. Authorities from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) responded swiftly by halting vehicular movement over the affected underpass and initiating emergency repair work using soil filling, reported Amar Ujala.

Site engineer Sonu Singh, accompanied by officials from the construction company, inspected the damaged area and directed the team to address the erosion and begin immediate restoration. Construction vehicle movement in the area has also been temporarily suspended.

Notably, this isn’t an isolated case. The first major rainfall of the season has exposed weaknesses at multiple locations along the expressway near the same stretch, raising concerns about construction quality. Although repair work is underway at several sites, company officials have so far refused to comment.

The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is a ₹13,000 crore infrastructure project being developed in four phases:

• Phase 1: Akshardham, Delhi to Eastern Peripheral Expressway (32 km)
  
• Phase 2: EPE to Saharanpur Bypass in Lakhnor (118 km)
  
• Phase 3: Lakhnor to Ganeshpur (41 km)
  
• Phase 4: Ganeshpur to Asharodi, Dehradun (19 km)
  

The final stretch includes a 12 km elevated corridor touted as Asia’s longest wildlife overpass. While work on the first and fourth phases is complete, 95% of the second and third phases is said to be finished. The expressway was expected to open to traffic by July.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by our editors.

Image via Amar Ujala