Lead agency suggests safety measures at Expressway’s accident- prone stretch
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
A lead agency, led by the deputy transport commissioner, Uttarakhand, Shailesh Tiwari, inspected the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway on Monday after multiple accidents involving heavy vehicles were reported near the Asharodi checkpost and Mohabbewala since it opened to traffic on April 14. While no casualties have occurred, the team has recommended suggestions.
Officials informed that following the inspection, the team recommended several safety measures. They proposed the installation of speed limit signs on both sides of the road from the police department barrier to the Asharodi joint checkpost, as per IRC norms. Given that this route is approximately 3.5 kilometres long and has a continuous slope, the team suggested implementing traffic warning measures such as rumble strips and hazard markings every 25 metres along the entire route. They also recommended increasing the thickness of the existing transverse bar markings to 10 mm and adding new transverse bar markings, with a minimum of 14, at intervals of 25 metres, they added.
The officials further informed that the team also suggested installing safety boards along the road, including messages like “The road is steep, please control your speed” and “Now you are moving towards a populated area; please control your speed and exercise caution.” They advised closing the median cut in front of the check post and relocating it to an underpass or another suitable location near the Datkali Temple.
To further control vehicle speeds, the team proposed installing a “Speed Limit Violation Display System” approximately 500 metres before the check post. They also recommended placing a no-parking/no-stoppage sign near the checkpost and using separate gates for the entry and exit of vehicles at the check post.
Besides, all barriers installed at the checkpoints should be covered with reflective tape for better visibility at night. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should also provide adequate lighting and blinkers along the entire route and delineators should be installed on the roadside near the Birla Opus Paints godown at Mohabbewala, between Asharodi and ISBT.
The team inspected the stretch where a truck had recently met with an accident in front of the Government Primary School near Mohabbewala Chowk. The site inspection revealed that the road leading to Mohabbewala Chandrabani Khalsa has an electricity department junction box on one side and a primary school on the other, creating visibility issues at the intersection. Since this area is industrial with heavy traffic flow, improvements to the intersection are necessary. To enhance safety, speed limiters, zebra crossings, stop lines, convex mirrors and school zone signboards should be installed in accordance with the IRC standards, the team suggested.
