By TC News Desk
Agartala, 8th March 2025 : The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) will dispatch a team to Tripura within the next 15 days to investigate structural damage that has surfaced on a newly constructed section of National Highway 208, connecting Kamalpur and Khowai.
The 25.6 km stretch, completed on April 17, 2023, has shown signs of pavement failure across nearly 12 km, particularly in the Khowai Bypass area between Km 96.000 and Km 97.000. The damage emerged after heavy rainfall in August 2024, prompting concern from both state and central agencies.
Briefing the media, the Secretary of Tripura’s Public Works Department (PWD) Kiran Gitte stated that the NH-208 project falls under the joint purview of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and the Tripura PWD. Of the six national highways spanning 793 km in the state, NHIDCL is responsible for a majority of the network, with the state PWD managing 43 km.
He said that constructed under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) mode, the NH-208 segment was built according to specifications laid out by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The project is currently under a five-year Defect Liability Period (DLP), which began upon completion last year.
The official stressed that strict quality control measures were observed during the construction phase.
“All work complied with Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines and MoRTH specifications. Construction materials were tested on-site under supervision and verified by NABL-accredited third-party labs. The project also underwent multiple inspections by an Independent Special Project Monitoring Unit and was awarded a Completion Certificate,” he said.
Despite these precautions, the highway began showing signs of alligator cracking and upheaval in the pavement structure—including the subgrade layers—soon after the monsoon. Preliminary findings indicate that elevated groundwater levels saturated the subgrade soil, compromising its strength and stability. The EPC contractor has attributed the damage to a resulting loss in shear strength and load-bearing capacity.
In response, NHIDCL has sought approval from its headquarters in New Delhi to engage the CRRI for a comprehensive site investigation.
Meanwhile, repair work is already underway. The contractor has mobilized equipment and personnel over the past two months to carry out rectification. This involves removing up to two meters of subgrade soil and replacing it with a sand-based drainage layer to block capillary moisture rise, followed by re-laying a fresh bituminous layer.
“The repairs are being closely monitored and were inspected as recently as yesterday. Full rectification is expected to be completed in the next two months,” the PWD Secretary added.
