Pipe-burst, cave-in lead to IFFCO Chowk flyover closure | Gurgaon News

Gurgaon: The Delhi-Jaipur one-way street near IFFCO Chowk had to be closed to traffic after one end of the concrete structure supporting it collapsed on Monday.
The more than 20 year old underground sewer running under the overpass, which was in need of repair anyway, burst due to trapped gases and increased water flow from recent rains. When the pipe burst, the ground gave way, exposing the sewer line. The 7 meter high retaining wall of the overpass that holds one end of the structure also collapsed under the impact.
At the beginning of the overpass, the police put up barricades to prevent vehicles from colliding with them. The overpass is only intended for traffic leaving Delhi and heading for Jaipur.
Officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and GMDA said it would take a few days to repair the collapsed part. Until then, the overpass would be closed to Delhi-Jaipur traffic and vehicles on the route would be diverted to the main section of the expressway, which runs parallel.
GMDA officials said they should repair sewers from near the Sirhaul border to Rajiv Chowk soon. The decision was made at a meeting with the Prime Minister in April. But now that the lines have burst, GMDA will fix this part first before the rest of the route is used up.
Pradeep Kumar, GMDA’s chief engineer, agreed that the sewer pipes were in urgent need of repair. He explained that the lines are made of RRC pipes that are rarely used anymore.
“Over the years, several gases are formed in closed sewers. These gases are naturally light and hit the top (top) of the pipelines, slowly wearing them out. The pipeline at the point was weakened anyway, and the high water pressure from the heavy rain only made matters worse. When the underground pipe burst, the ground above collapsed. The retaining wall that holds one end of the flyover has also collapsed, ”he added.
When the 900-meter flyover was built in 2019, it was planned to lay the sewer pipes. However, this was not possible for reasons of space and other technical difficulties.
“The only solution we have now is Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP) technology. This is one of the most advanced trenchless rehabilitation methods used to repair existing pipelines. It is a seamless pipe lining within an existing one, ”said Kumar.
According to Kumar, once these pipelines are repaired with CIPP technology, their lifespan would increase by 70-80 years. “The part that broke will be repaired immediately. The remaining stretch from the Sirhaul border to Rajiv Chowk would eventually be repaired, ”he said.
After the pipeline is restored, the NHAI contractor repairs the retaining wall.

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