The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is going to get a safety audit done of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, days after a Rolls-Royce crashed into a fuel tanker, killing two on the access-controlled speedway.
An IIT team will conduct the survey and prepare a report, based on which NHAI will make changes as required, officials said. The audit will focus on structural design, entry and exit, slip roads, stoppage points and other infrastructural aspects to improve the safety of commuters.
The 246km Sohna-Dausa stretch of the expressway was opened to regular traffic on February 15 this year. Since then, more than 150 accidents have been reported on the stretch. With the traffic volume on the expressway increasing from 12,000 daily in the initial days to 28,000 vehicles at present, the number of accidents has also increased. According to NHAI officials, a few accidents are reported on the stretch every day, most of which aren’t fatal.
According to CCTV footage of the Rolls-Royce accident on Tuesday, the luxury sedan — speeding at around 200kmph, going by the time stamp that shows it covered 40km in 12 minutes — hit an oil tanker after apparently losing control. The driver and co-driver of the tanker died, while four others were injured. The accident has put the spotlight on the expressway and commuter safety, as a large number of people from Delhi and Gurgaon have started using it to reach Jaipur as an alternative to NH-8.
NHAI project director Mukesh Kumar Meena said an IIT team will soon be engaged for the safety audit. “Based on their report, changes will be made. The safety audit was part of the project. We are also collecting feedback from commuters to improve their safety and experience,” he added.
According to officials, initial inspections have suggested that there are variations in the level of the road at some points due to settlement of the soil. As a result, the road suddenly dips at some points, which might jar commuters on the high-speed expressway.
“We will install rumble strips at regular intervals to keep drivers alert. Besides, NHAI is also planning massive plantations of a variety of plants and trees on the median,” a senior official said.
TOI on Thursday reported about the NHAI writing to the Haryana government two weeks before for police support to enforce traffic norms on the expressway. Officials said the request was made after NHAI was informed about rules being broken frequently on the Sohna-Dausa stretch.
Meanwhile, a team from Nuh police on Saturday visited Medanta — the Medicity to record the statements of those injured in the Rolls-Royce crash.
