Noida: A portion of Noida elevated road has caved in, prompting the Authority to shut the carriageway from Sector 61 towards Sector 18 and initiate repair work. A 2×2-foot portion of the road caved in this time near Iskcon Temple, a month after a similar incident was reported on the elevated road on Sept 15. Traffic has been diverted to Maharaja Agrasen Marg, which runs parallel to the elevated road, leading to heavy congestion on the alternative route.Noida Authority additional CEO Vandana Tripathi said that the traffic movement has been diverted for safety till the restoration works are complete. “We have launched the repair and restoration works. A probe has begun to ascertain the reason for this cave-in and if this is linked to the previous incident,” she said. Officials said that the road will be repaired in two days and then the carriageway will be opened.Noida Authority officials said that the incident was reported on Monday at 11am by some passersby. The traffic police and Authority initially placed barricades around the damaged portion while traffic movement continued. However, the portion widened further on Wednesday, following which the entire carriageway from Sector 61 to 18 was blocked by placing barricades at the entry.Noida traffic police also issued an advisory informing that the diversion was placed from Wednesday till the stretch is repaired. The police said emergency vehicles, including ambulances, and firefighters will be facilitated for safe and smooth navigation. The traffic police have also issued a helpline number (9971009001) for commuters.On Sept 15, a 10x5x3-foot portion of the elevated road’s loop caved in near Vishwa Bharti Public School. In that case, Noida Authority said that water and sewage pipelines appeared to be running beneath the loop. It appears there was a leakage in the water pipeline, due to which the soil beneath the area was washed away, leading to a visible pothole.However, this time the cave-in took place in the middle of the elevated road and not at the loop, indicating a safety issue with the project. Noida Authority has also planned to engage IIT Delhi to conduct a safety audit of the project which was opened to the public in 2017.The 4.8 km road was constructed at a cost of Rs 480 crore. The elevated road is a key arterial route designed to ease congestion between sectors 18, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 60, 61 and 62. Additionally, many individuals from Indirapuram and Vaishali in Ghaziabad use this road to commute between Noida and Delhi via the DND Flyway and vice versa.Meanwhile, there are no traffic restrictions on the Noida Sector 18-61 side of the elevated road. In March 2024, Noida Authority conducted repair and restoration works on the elevated road after the surface developed cracks and the layers eroded at different places. The project cost was Rs 14.5 crore. Traffic department data indicate that nearly 1.5 lakh commuters use the elevated road on weekdays, with traffic volume increasing during the morning and evening rush-hour commute.
