Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Cracks in Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway Expose India's Crumbling Infrastructure
India has been building lots of new roads, bridges, and tunnels very fast.
But some of this new infrastructure is breaking much sooner than it should.
A big new expressway between Kanpur and Lucknow got cracks just three weeks after it opened.
In the last five years, about 170 bridges have collapsed or been damaged, and more than 200 people have died.
Potholes on roads have caused many crashes and thousands of deaths.
The article says the way these projects are planned and built is not good enough.
It says quality checks are missing and no one is held responsible when things go wrong.
The minister in charge, Nitin Gadkari, is being asked to fix the problem.
Everyone who uses roads in India deserves safer places to travel.
The Rs 4,200 crore Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway developed serious cracks, erosion, and surface slippage just three weeks after opening, prompting the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite repairs.
An estimated 170 bridge collapses and structural damage incidents, claiming over 200 lives, were recorded in India over the past five years.
Between 2020 and 2024, over 23,000 pothole-related crashes occurred across India, including nearly 9,440 deaths.
Almost 54,440 people were killed in crashes on national highways in 2024 alone.
The article attributes the failures to grave deficiencies in planning, substandard materials, compromised construction, lack of quality control, and accountability gaps, placing responsibility on MoRTH minister Nitin Gadkari.
- Who
- The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) under minister Nitin Gadkari and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), along with Indian road users affected by failing infrastructure.
- What
- Newly opened infrastructure, including the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway, is developing cracks, collapsing, and causing deaths.
- When
- The latest incident occurred about three weeks after the expressway opened; statistics span 2020-2024 and 2024.
- Where
- Across India, including Kanpur-Lucknow, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Telangana, Jammu, Kashmir, the Northeast, and Unnao.
- Why
- Substandard planning, materials, construction, lack of quality control, and want of accountability.
- Expressway
- Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway (Rs 4,200 crore)
- Cracks appeared
- About 3 weeks after opening
- Bridge collapses (past 5 years)
- ~170 incidents, over 200 deaths
- Pothole-related crashes (2020-2024)
- Over 23,000 crashes, nearly 9,440 deaths
- National highway crash deaths (2024)
- Almost 54,440
- Repair agency
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
- Other affected sites
- Delhi airport terminal, Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Mrinaltai Gore flyover, Ganga Expressway, Delhi-Dehradun Expressway