Giant fans on a highway? Newly opened Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway gets an unusual fix after heavy rain

A damaged section of the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway is now being dried using high-powered electric fans after heavy rainfall caused the road to slip, disrupting traffic and raising fresh concerns over construction quality.

Visuals from the site show large fans placed along the damaged stretch to remove moisture from the underlying soil before reconstruction work begins.

According to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, continuous rainfall allowed water to seep into the layers beneath the pavement, weakening the soil and causing the road to slip.

Traffic diverted, commuters raise concerns

The damaged stretch has affected traffic movement, with vehicles travelling between Kanpur and Lucknow in both directions being routed through a single carriageway while repair work continues.

The arrangement has raised safety concerns among commuters as construction machinery continues to operate alongside moving traffic.

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Motorists have also complained of being forced to drive on the wrong side of the expressway after entering through toll plazas.

Several passengers alleged they were charged toll without being informed about the disruption ahead, saying they would have chosen an alternative route had they known. The diversion has increased the risk of accidents and left drivers worried about possible traffic violations.

Questions over construction quality

The incident has also raised fresh questions over the quality of construction. The same location reportedly required repairs less than a month ago, and following the latest spell of rain, road surface slippage has been reported at seven to eight other locations on the expressway.

NHAI has asked IIT Kharagpur to conduct a technical investigation into the cause of the failure. The authority has also ordered a laser profilometer survey of the entire pavement.

Construction firm PNC Infratech has been issued a notice over alleged lapses, with proceedings initiated to declare it a non-performing contractor. The company will bear the estimated Rs 3 crore repair cost.

Officials responsible for project supervision have also been removed and barred from participating in NHAI and related ministry projects for two years.

Meanwhile, toll collection on the affected stretch will remain suspended until repair work is completed. The resulting revenue loss will be recovered from the concessionaire.