Due to recently constructed highway sections exhibiting cracks, potholes, premature failures, rutting, and other defects, the government is studying the option of conducting trial drives on these roads for a longer period before their official commissioning. According to Dipak Dasha, this means that regular traffic may travel on these sections for two to three months before the formal launch to identify issues.
Officials clarified that test drives are conducted only after all work and safety audits are completed. The publication TOI learned that this idea was discussed during a meeting reviewing the progress of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway project, which was headed by Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari.
There have been previous instances of extending the trial period on various sections, including parts of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway and the tunnel on the Dwarka Expressway, until their opening. One official noted that 'an extended trial period is useful because it allows for the detection and rectification of problems with settlement, rutting, or drainage on any section, especially during the monsoon season.'
Typically, toll collection on highway sections begins only after their official opening. As per contract terms, contractors are obliged to rectify all shortcomings during the defect liability period. Officials reported that Gadkari instructed NHAI employees, contractors, and consultants involved in the projects to improve construction quality, as any deficiencies deprive people of the promised convenience.
Instances have been recorded where both national and regional highways began showing serious defects within weeks of their opening, according to the President, central ministers, and state heads. The latest such incidents concerned the Lucknow-Kanpur and Dehradun expressways. Although in some cases NHAI calculated the toll for affected sections as 'zero', in the case of the Lucknow-Kanpur expressway, toll collection was suspended across the entire corridor.