News: Gurugram: NHAI panel wants more tests before submitting final report-01-10-2020

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/nhai-panel-wants-more-tests-before-submitting-final-report/articleshow/78416235.cms

GURUGRAM: Barely a week after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) allowed partial resumption of work on the Sohna elevated road, its special committee has released an interim report on the possible causes of the collapse of a 40-metre concrete span.

While the findings of the NHAI report are yet to be made public, officials have revealed that the committee has demanded more sampling and few more tests before preparing the final report that would list out recommendations and guidelines for the work to be allowed on the elevated structure.
Along with this report, NHAI has also received a report prepared by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) on the possible lapses in the design and material quality, if any.

“We have received the interim report and the consolidated report will come in due course of time. We are studying the report sent by the committee and evaluating the observations made. Overall, the report highlighted the need for more sample collection and further tests before final conclusions can be derived,” said a senior NHAI official of the Gurgram project implementation unit (PIU).

While the department did not share the details of the report and key observations made by the special committee, officials privy to the matter have revealed that the report has largely highlighted three major points that could have led to the damage.

“Firstly, there could be possible displacement of the stressing cables due to which the span which was still healing collapsed. Secondly, the report suspects a possible development of a cavity in the concrete structure. This could have weakened the structure. Thirdly, the report hasn’t ruled out the possibility of substandard quality of the material used,” said an NHAI official privy to the matter.

“However, these are just initial observations. More sampling and testing is likely to take place before a consolidated report is prepared,” he added.

Last month, a concrete span of the elevated road collapsed. Soon after the accident, the NHAI had formed a committee to examine the design and quality of materials used to build the elevated structure.

Subsequently, NHAI suspended work on the project and the contractor was banned from bidding for future NHAI projects. Last week, the highways authority allowed the contractor — Oriental Structures Engineering — to resume the ground-level minimum-risk work on the elevated road.