Gaping pothole on Samruddhi Expressway triggers panic

This recent incident has raised doubts about the construction quality of the 786-km expressway, a pet project of the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Since its grand inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2022, more than 100 fatal accidents have occurred so far

Panic gripped motorists on Friday night after a gaping pothole was discovered on the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway that has recently been in headlines due to a series of accidents.

On Saturday morning, villagers from Lehgaon spotted the pothole on a flyover near Nandgaon Khandeshwar tehsil in Amravati district.

On Saturday morning, villagers from Lehgaon spotted the pothole on a flyover near Nandgaon Khandeshwar tehsil in Amravati district, highway police officials said and added they immediately installed plastic barricades around it.

Vehicular traffic came to a halt for a few hours while repair work was being carried out on the highway, the officials said. Traffic was restored on the expressway by 8.30 am.

This recent incident has raised doubts about the construction quality of the 786-km expressway, a pet project of the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Since its grand inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2022, more than 100 fatal accidents have occurred so far.

Meanwhile, the third and final phase of the expressway, a 25-km stretch from Bharveer to Igatpuri, is nearing completion. It is expected to be thrown open to the public this week. Officials from Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation could not be contacted for comments on the matter.