Immediately after gliding down the
Agra-Lucknow E-way in high speed, one gets a rude welcome in the city with huge craters that threaten to damage cars and disbalance bikes. The condition is so bad that regular accidents take place on the 2km stretch. In a reality check, TOI finds what horrors
Anyone entering Lucknow via the Agra Expressway will be in for a very rude shock. After a smooth drive on the wide expressway, one is forced to brake abruptly as the road right after the expressway is full of large, deep craters. The situation is worse when water fills these craters as there is no way to know what lies beneath the surface.
The deadly 2km stretch of Mohan Road starts from Naheria crossing and passes along
Shakuntala Mishra University to meet the starting point of the expressway.
A nightmare for commuters, the road is full of pebbles and large craters, making it a herculean task for drivers to navigate through. In its reality check, TOI found that the craters were at least 5 meters wide and up to 20 meters long.
The service lane next to the road is in worse condition. With a broken drainage system leading to sewage water flowing on it, the road is not even in a condition to walk on.
While locals say the road, which is under PWD, has not been repaired for two years, the condition has deteriorated over the past month due to continuous rainfall, the added.
When TOI interacted with commuters crossing the challenging craters, they said driving on it was a nightmare and they often called out to locals to help them navigate the area.
“I am a daily commuter of this road. I met with an accident 15 days ago while I was arriving from Agra. As I entered Mohan Road, I reduced my speed from 110km/hour to 50km/hour.
The enormity of the craters was not visible from that distance. As I reached close to Shakuntala Mishra University, I saw how large these and deep these craters were. I immediately hit the brakes and as a result, a mini-truck hit my car from behind. I sustained serious injuries and my car was damaged badly. I was bedridden for 10 days. After that accident, I am terrified of driving on this road, but it is a compulsion for me because I live near Mohan Road,” said VP Singh, a commuter.
Saajan Lalwani, a resident of Delhi who was entering Lucknow, was left confused on where to cross the stretch from as his car was trapped between a humped stone and a caved-in part of the road.
“I am shocked that the road which connects to a world-class expressway is in such a condition. The craters are so big that I couldn’t cross the section without help of locals,” he said.
“While my husband was crossing the section, I was praying to God for safety. Why have authorities ignored this serious problem?” said Anjana Keserwani.
“I have lodged three complaints on the public grievance portal but in vain,” said Ritesh Kumar Jaiswal, a resident of Mohan Road.
“I saw a horrible accident near the university on Saturday evening. A sedan was badly damaged because of this road. The driver and another passenger were injured and rushed to hospital. There are daily accidents on this road,” said Anjum Mehta, who works in a private company on Mohan Road.
Anyone entering Lucknow via the Agra Expressway will be in for a very rude shock.
