Following several failures and widespread criticism on social media over repeated slippages and cave-ins on the newly inaugurated Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has temporarily suspended toll collection on the route.
The expressway, which was inaugurated on July 13 in the presence of the UP Chief Minister, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, and the Defence Minister, has come under intense scrutiny after multiple instances of road damage surfaced within weeks of its opening. In response, the NHAI has decided to hold the concessionaire accountable and initiate stringent action while temporarily making the multi-crore expressway toll-free until the identified issues are addressed.
The multi-crore expressway that couldn’t catch a break
The first such incident was reported around July 26, when a section of the expressway near KM 64 witnessed a subsidence. Although the damaged stretch was repaired promptly, videos of the cave-in quickly went viral on social media, raising questions over the quality of the much-ambitious project just days after its high-profile inauguration.
Since then, multiple cracks, slippages, and instances of road damage have been reported, particularly along the Lucknow-Unnao stretch of the 63-km expressway. The project has also drawn sharp backlash over its steep toll charges, with commuters questioning the road’s construction quality and overall durability.
As of now, restoration work is underway on the expressway with traffic diversions in place to facilitate repairs. During this period, no toll will be charged from commuters using the route until the restoration work is completed.
After the cracks on the road, the crackdown begins
As an important measure, the NHAI has finally cracked down on those responsible, with accountability now extending beyond just repairing the damaged road.
The authority has issued a notice proposing to declare concessionaire PNC Infratech Ltd a “non-performer”, a move that could bar the company from bidding for future NHAI projects. It has also served a show-cause notice recommending a penalty worth 2% of the performance security, a downgrade in the firm’s performance rating, and debarment proceedings of up to three years against its head of pavements/highways and other officials found responsible.
And the repair bill? That, too, has landed on the concessionaire’s desk. The company has been directed to restore the damaged stretches at its own expense, with the cost currently estimated at nearly ₹3 crore. Safe to say, the expressway has turned out to be far more expensive after inauguration than before it.
Moreover, NHAI has removed the project’s manager, Vivek Kumar Gupta, Independent Engineer team leader Surendra Kumar, and Resident Engineer Yatendra Kumar from the project. All three have also been debarred from working on projects under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI, and NHIDCL for the next two years.
Meanwhile, Project Director Nakul Prakash Verma has been sent back to his parent department, with charge sheets being issued against him and former Project Director Saurabh Chaurasia over alleged negligence. The authority has also proposed debarring Theme Engineering Services Pvt Ltd, the project’s independent engineer, from participating in future NHAI projects.
The other part of the problem
While action has finally been initiated over the damages and recurring issues on the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, the public’s dissatisfaction is unlikely to fade anytime soon. Ever since the corridor was opened, social media has been flooded with complaints, not just about its structural failures but also about the steep toll charges.
The biggest point of contention has been the toll itself. Private and small vehicles are charged ₹275 for a one-way journey and ₹415 for a return trip, rates many commuters have termed exorbitant for a route spanning just 63 km.
The toll burden is even steeper for heavy vehicles, with trucks and other commercial vehicles paying ₹935 for a one-way trip and ₹1,405 for a return journey. The pricing has reportedly discouraged not only commercial transporters but even UPSRTC buses, many of which have continued using the older highway instead. This, in turn, has contributed to congestion on the old Lucknow-Kanpur route at several locations.
Another grievance, particularly among Kanpur residents, is that the expressway doesn’t technically enter Kanpur city. Instead, it terminates near the Unnao-Kanpur border, several kilometres away from the city’s core, leaving many commuters questioning why it has been branded as the “Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway” in the first place.
While toll collection has now been suspended until restoration work is completed and further inspections are carried out, the NHAI has made no announcement on whether the existing toll rates will be revised once operations resume. For many commuters, that remains the bigger issue. If the expressway continues to be priced beyond the reach of a large section of regular users, questions over its accessibility and practicality are only likely to grow louder.
