The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Thursday, July 2, issued a clarification regarding the road surface cave-in incident observed on the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, stating that it was the result of localised water stagnation following rains, coupled with constraints in commissioning the permanent cross-drainage system at the location.
The authority noted that a road surface cave-in was observed at Km 55+480 on the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor at the time of routine route patrolling in the early hours on July 1. After detecting the affected stretch, the project team immediately initiated restoration works.
“NHAI would like to inform that the road surface cave-in at Km 55+480 on the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor occurred due to water stagnation following rainfall, coupled with constraints in commissioning the permanent cross-drainage system at the location. The affected stretch was identified during routine route patrolling in the early hours of 01 July 2026, and restoration works were immediately undertaken. The location was repaired on priority, ensuring safe and uninterrupted movement of traffic,” read a post on the official X handle of NHAI.
NHAI would like to inform that the road surface cave-in at Km 55+480 on the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor occurred due to water stagnation following rainfall, coupled with constraints in commissioning the permanent cross-drainage system at the location.
The affected stretch… pic.twitter.com/ZCOxQ8lkLc
— NHAI (@NHAI_Official) July 2, 2026
To address the situation, the authority said it had initiated construction of an interim parallel drain of a length of approximately 1.5 kms.
“The balancing culvert at the location, designed to safely convey rainwater across the carriageway, could not be commissioned due to continued resistance from local residents, who have been using the culvert opening as a vehicular crossing. In addition, permanent slope protection and chute drain works remain pending owing to an ongoing land-related dispute, which has prevented execution of the approved drainage infrastructure,” NHAI stated.
It added, “As an interim measure, NHAI has commenced construction of a parallel drain over approximately 1.5 km long and is redesigning the drainage gradient to ensure safe disposal of rainwater until the permanent drainage system can be commissioned. The location is under continuous monitoring, and all necessary resources have been deployed to ensure safe and smooth traffic movement. NHAI remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of highway safety through timely maintenance and proactive asset management.”