The Rampura flyover, which was damaged in the early hours of Monday was repaired by the concessionaire by late Tuesday morning. Due to the construction work, highway officials had to block two lanes from the Jaipur to Delhi side, which slowed traffic movement during the evening peak hour.

The NHAI officials said that they have opened two of the three lanes and completed the concreting work, which would now need six to seven days to cure. Until the curing is complete, one lane of the flyover and the underpass, which is directly below the flyover, would be shut.

This highway between Jaipur and Gurugram up to Kherki Daula has been constructed and maintained by Pink City Expressway Private Limited, which is the highway concessionaire. Its office is in Manesar.

“Our teams worked throughout the night and a machine was brought to fill the hole with concrete. All the adjoining patches were also checked for cracks. Once the damaged area is repaired, we will open it for traffic,” said NN Giri, project director, NHAI, Delhi-Jaipur Expressway. He also said that a team will be constituted to ascertain the exact cause for the damage to the flyover.

On Monday morning, a large chunk of the central lane of the Rampura flyover had collapsed, causing concern. Although the highway officials and police had acted swiftly to cordon off the area and prevent any mishap, the highway remained congested. Thousands of people use this flyover for daily commute between Gurugram and Manesar stretch, besides residents of sectors 81 to 95, who use the Rampura underpass.

An official of the Pink City Expressway Pvt Ltd said that they had deployed marshals and a vehicle at the spot to redirect the traffic and prevent any mishap. “The road will be opened within seven days. All measures have been taken to ensure the safety of commuters,” said Anil Kumar, an official.

Pravin Malik, a resident of Sector 92, said that there was congestion both during the morning and evening as the side lanes of the expressway were also broken and narrow. “There are no streetlights and the road is in a bad shape. People who use this route are now taking the Vatika exit, which has compounded the traffic situation there as well,” he said.

Residents said that although police have been deployed on the stretch, jams were observed in the evening as traffic merged at the Vatika exit. They also said that neither the underpass nor the damaged area overhead had an illuminated marker, which could lead to accidents. “The area should have been properly lighted as it is foggy during the morning and visibility is reduced,” said Manoj Lakhani, a resident.

Earlier on Monday, the NHAI officials had blamed a tyre burst of a heavy duty truck at the spot for the damage. Giri said that the entire weight of the truck was put in one place, which might have damaged the road. This was, however, discounted by experts, who said that the damage could be due to either design issue or poor quality construction.

Meanwhile, the Gurugram police said on Tuesday that they are probing a complaint lodged by a group of RTI activists with regard to the damage to the flyover and a case is likely to be registered in this matter. “As the matter is serious, a case will be registered against the parties concerned,” said KK Rao, Gurugram police commissioner.

First Published: Dec 19, 2018 13:59 IST