NHAI denies road cave-in on Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, says only surface slippage

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) denied a road cave-in on the Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Elevated Expressway, attributing the damage to surface slippage of the upper wearing coat over a 40-meter stretch.

NHAI Project Director Nakul Prakash Verma stated the issue was not a cave-in but a technical problem that was repaired within hours, with traffic restored by 5 pm.

The 63-km expressway, costing about ₹4,700 crore, was inaugurated on July 13 by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other officials to reduce travel time between Lucknow and Kanpur.

A viral video showing the damaged portion, shared by a Samajwadi Party worker, sparked concerns about construction quality and corruption, though no government agency has verified these allegations.

NHAI said no separate inquiry is planned, describing the incident as a routine technical issue that occurs occasionally on bituminous roads.