Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Potholes and fans hit new Lucknow-Kanpur expressway after inauguration
A brand-new super-fast road was built between the Indian cities of Lucknow and Kanpur.
It is called the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, and important leaders opened it with a big ceremony.
But just two weeks later, the road started getting holes, cracks and sinking spots.
The builders are fixing the damage, but it is the rainy season, so the new tar will not dry.
To solve this, the workers placed rows of big electric fans on the road to blow-dry it.
People saw funny pictures of the fans and many laughed, and some politicians made jokes too.
The road also does not go all the way to Kanpur, so drivers must take another road for part of the trip.
Drivers normally pay to use the road, but the fee was paused until it is fully repaired.
The building company got in big trouble and was told to fix the road properly.
The six-lane, 63km Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Elevated Expressway developed cave-ins, cracks and potholes within two weeks of its July 13 inauguration.
Contractor PNC Infratech Limited is using rows of pedestal fans to dry freshly laid asphalt while repairing a 300-metre stretch during the rainy season.
The expressway stops 25km short of Kanpur because land could not be acquired and no new bridge was built over the Ganga, forcing a detour onto the old highway.
Traffic was slowed after July 27 cave-ins closed the Lucknow-bound flank from Unnao, and the trip between Lucknow and Kanpur now takes over two hours.
The company was banned for two years from NHAI projects and fined 2 per cent of the project's performance security, while an IIT Kharagpur team investigates the slippage.
Toll of ₹285 was collected until August 5, when the government ordered toll gates kept open until repairs are complete and all six lanes are operational.
- Who
- Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union highway minister Nitin Gadkari and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the expressway; construction firm PNC Infratech Limited is carrying out repairs; Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav criticized the project.
- What
- The new Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Elevated Expressway developed cave-ins, cracks and potholes within two weeks of opening, forcing lane closures and repairs in which the contractor used pedestal fans to dry fresh asphalt.
- When
- Inaugurated on July 13; cave-ins hit on July 27; toll collection stopped on August 5 pending completion of repairs.
- Where
- The six-lane expressway (National Expressway 6) between Lucknow and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, India, with one flank blocked from Unnao.
- Why
- The contractor detected 'asphalt slippage' on a 300-metre stretch during the rainy season, and the project also fell short because the government could not acquire land or build a new bridge over the Ganga.
Government and contractor
Critics and opposition
Road condition
Government and contractor
The contractor says only a 300-metre stretch of 'asphalt slippage' was detected and repair work is underway.
Critics and opposition
Reports describe cave-ins, cracks and potholes across the six-lane expressway within two weeks of inauguration, drawing mockery on social media.
Travel time
Government and contractor
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath claimed the expressway would cut Lucknow-Kanpur travel time to 35 minutes.
Critics and opposition
With one flank closed, the journey now takes well over two hours, while a recent trip on the old 84km highway took just 100 minutes.
Who is responsible
Government and contractor
The state government says it has acted firmly: the Centre declared the company a non-performer, banned it from NHAI projects and fined it.
Critics and opposition
Opposition politicians say the failed showpiece road reflects poor oversight, with Akhilesh Yadav calling the pedestal fans 'the new wind of BJP-style progress'.
- Expressway
- Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Elevated Expressway (National Expressway 6)
- Length and lanes
- 63km, six-lane
- Project cost
- ₹4,200 crore
- Inauguration
- July 13, by Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Yogi Adityanath
- First damage
- Cave-ins on July 27
- Toll
- ₹285; collection stopped August 5, gates open until repairs complete
- Contractor penalty
- PNC Infratech Limited — two-year ban from NHAI projects and fine of 2% of performance security
- Shortfall
- Stops 25km short of Kanpur; 13km extra via old National Highway 27