Maharashtra: MSRDC clarifies on tyre puncture incident on Samruddhi Expressway, blames repair nozzles

Representational Image. File Pic

In a very surprising scenario at the recently inaugurated Samruddhi Expressway, tyres of at least three cars were punctured during the early hours of Wednesday. The police officials said that nails were hammered into the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Wednesday.

Following the incident on Wednesday, where several vehicles experienced tyre punctures on the Mumbai-bound stretch of the Samruddhi Mahamarg near Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has issued a clarification.

According to the statement issued by MSRDC, the punctures occurred because motorists drove over aluminium nozzles that had been installed as part of repair work to fill minor cracks on two of the lanes.

MSRDC also asserted that minor cracks were found in the first and second lanes of the Mumbai-bound stretch of Samruddhi Mahamarg, and as part of Preventive Maintenance Measures, minor cracks were filled using Epoxy Grouting.

The videos surfacing across social media platforms showed that nails were very neatly embedded in the Mumbai-bound arm of the high-speed carriageway.

One of the officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said that, "The nails embedded in the expressway were found in a 10-20 foot asphalt patch on the carriageway near Daulatabad," as cited by news agency PTI.

Soon after the video started circulating across social media, a team of senior MSRDC officials visited the spot.

While issuing a clarification about the incident, MSRDC, while issuing an official statement, said, "While filling minor cracks, aluminium nozzles had to be fixed. Traffic diversion was arranged during the work. The work was completed at 11:30 pm on September 9, 2025. After that, some vehicles coming at a fast pace crossed the diversion in the first lane and went over the nozzles, resulting in puncture of the tyres of three vehicles."

The statement further added, "The incident occurred on September 10, 2025, at around 12:10 pm. After receiving the message from the traffic control room, the Highway Patrol Vehicle (RPV) reached the spot at 12:36 pm. However, no accident or loss of life was reported at this spot. The aluminium nozzles installed for epoxy grouting were removed at 05:00 am on September 10, 2025, and traffic is currently flowing smoothly. It was also found that there was no comprehensive security system for Traffic Diversion at the said location. Therefore, punitive action is being taken against the concerned contractor."