₹2,600-Crore Ujjain–Garoth Highway Sinks For Second Time In 7 Months; 500-Metre Stretch To Be Rebuilt

UJJAIN (Madhya Pradesh): The Ujjain-Garoth National Highway has sunk for the second time in seven months. Around 500 metres of the highway near the railway bridge on Dewas Road has subsided due to a technical defect.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will now dismantle and reconstruct the affected stretch of the highway, built at a cost of around Rs 2,600 crore.

After a 200-metre section sank on Feb 6, the entire affected stretch is now being reconstructed. The construction agency GVR began excavation work on Monday.

This could further delay the highway's handover and the commencement of traffic. A video showing construction material collapsing near the bridge had gone viral two days ago, raising questions over the quality of the highway.

Following a technical inspection which detected defects, authorities decided to dismantle the affected section and rebuild it.

According to GVR senior engineer Amit Rai, an investigation by IIT Delhi identified technical problems in a 100 to 200-metre section.

To eliminate the risk of further subsidence in the future, the entire stretch of around 500 metres is being excavated and reconstructed from the ground-up.

The project, which was supposed to have been completed around a year ago, remains unfinished.

Two highway packages have been completed, but a 41-kilometre stretch between Chandesari and Kheda Khajuria is still pending. This package, estimated to cost around Rs 900 crore, is being constructed by GVR Construction.

Work on the road overbridge (ROB) and the road was scheduled to be completed by December. However, reconstruction of the sunken section is now likely to cause further delays.

The route is considered particularly important in view of the Simhastha Mahaparv-2028. NHAI Ujjain project director Shivam Sharma said the affected section is being reconstructed following a technical inspection to ensure that such a problem does not recur.

The department is aiming to start traffic on the highway by March 31.