Alloy-wrecking potholes on Rs 12,000 crore Delhi-Dehradun expressway after first rain of season

DEHRADUN/SHAMLI: A newly built Rs 12,000-cr expressway. One spell of rain. Then came potholes big enough to wreck alloys and topple vehicles.The 212km Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, hailed as a flagship project, has come under scrutiny after two large potholes appeared on the stretch in UP’s Shamli following the season’s first significant rainfall.“We were fortunate that our vehicle didn’t overturn. They were almost 1.5 feet deep and around 3.5 feet wide”, said Mohammad Usman, a Delhi cloth merchant who was travelling to Mussoorie with his family on Wednesday when his vehicle struck one of the potholes.‘Many vehicles had close shave on Doon eway’Usman told TOI that several vehicles narrowly escaped accidents while trying to swerve to avoid them.In a video recorded shortly after the discovery, he can be heard saying that four to five vehicles lost balance while passing through the damaged stretch. He also claimed that “at least two cars suffered bent alloy wheels”.Shaken, Usman and his family stopped along the road to warn other motorists before filming the damaged section and posting it on Instagram.The video drew widespread attention and concern over the “quality of construction work”.NHAI soon deployed repair crews. Sonu Baliyan, the driver of a patrol vehicle accompanying the maintenance team, attributed the damage to intense overnight rainfall. “The potholes have now been repaired,” he said.Stay updated with the latest Dehradun news. Download the TOI App.