After heavy rain, portion of Purvanchal E-way caves in

LUCKNOW A portion of the side lane of the Purvanchal Expressway caved in near the Haliyapur toll plaza in Sultanpur district after incessant rainfall on Monday. Earlier, on Sunday, a portion of the expressway had caved in near milestone 76 at the same spot. The employees of the construction agency have covered the damaged portion of the expressway with a plastic sheet.

Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Authority (UPEIDA), in a tweet, said that the damaged portion of the expressway has been repaired. The side lane of the expressway caved in due to the optical fibre cable laying work for the advanced traffic management system work. “There is no disruption in the movement of the traffic on the expressway,” said UPEIDA officer.

Last year, a portion of the expressway caved in near Haliyapur in October. A 10-foot pit was created at the spot and the traffic was halted after a car fell in the pit, injuring four commuters. Significantly, the Samajwadi Party had alleged corruption and irregularities in the construction of the expressway.

On November 16, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 341-km Purvnachal Expressway. The expressway, which connects Lucknow with Ghazipur, passes through nine districts -- Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, and Ghazipur.

The six-lane expressway has been constructed at an estimated cost of ₹22,497 crore.