Shimla highway caves in near Chambaghat, traffic diverted

Solan, April 21

A section of the National Highway No. 5 caved in near the Directorate of Mushroom Research at Chambaghat in Solan district late last evening. As a result, vehicular traffic was diverted through a single lane on the Solan-Kaithlighat section.

Cracks were visible on the road surface as the excavation work for a flyover was under way. A big crater had appeared right in the middle of the road, and only a narrow section of the road was available for vehicular traffic. This is the lone road connecting Solan to Shimla and it witnesses huge vehicular rush every day. Policemen were deputed to ensure smooth movement of traffic.

Airef Engineers started the work to repair the road in the morning; the company is handling the project to widen this section of the highway. “The site has been dug up for a pillar to be erected there for a flyover but it has led to soil erosion below the road. The work was underway to fill the crater while the remaining road was being repaired to make it functional,” said DSP Ramesh Sharma.

It is a populated habitation having buildings on both sides and so the construction of a flyover is fraught with problems. In another instance, the lower portion of a two-storey guesthouse of Mohan Meakin at Chambaghat caved in two days ago.

This is the second time that this section of the highway has caved in. Earlier, the highway had sunk near Waknaghat in September 2020, disrupting traffic for more than 16 hours.

The work to widen the 22.91 km stretch of the road from Solan to Kaithlighat to four lanes was started in December 2018. The project assigned for 30 months was to be completed at a cost of Rs 598 crore on the engineering, procurement and construction mode. — TNS