Tyres 'bursting' on Samruddhi Expressway: MSRDC clarifies - ‘Not nails, but aluminium nozzles’

The incident took place near Daulatabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district late Tuesday night.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) clarified on Wednesday that the sharp objects spotted on a section of the Samruddhi Expressway were actually aluminium nozzles, not nails, and had been placed temporarily to repair minor cracks in the road.

The incident took place near Daulatabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district late Tuesday night. At least three vehicles reported tyre damage after passing through the stretch. Videos of the incident went viral on social media showing rows of pointed objects embedded in the road.

⁦@nitin_gadkari⁩ ⁦@NHAI_Official⁩ ⁦@PMOIndia⁩ ⁦@Dev_Fadnavis⁩ Received this video on Whatsapp today. What is happening on Samruddhi Highway? How come anybody fix Nails into the road ? pic.twitter.com/q5UnoBvUCm

— rambhakt (@neel_gurjar) September 10, 2025

According to MSRDC, the aluminium nozzles had been placed as part of ‘epoxy grouting,’ a preventive maintenance technique used to fill small cracks on the highway surface. The repair work was carried out over a 15-metre stretch on the Mumbai-bound side of the carriageway.
Officials said that while traffic was diverted during the repair work, a few vehicles entered the area after it was completed around 11.30 pm on Tuesday. This led to punctures in some cars, but no accidents or injuries were reported, the statement read.

MSRDC कडून स्पष्टीकरण आले आहे, समृद्धी महामार्गावर तडे गेले ,त्याचे काम करण्यासाठी नोजल्स लावले होते. त्यामुळे गाड्यांचे टायर फुटले! समृध्दी महामार्गाला तडे का जातात? वारंवार त्यावर काम का निघत? नोजल्स लावले ,काम सुरू आहे हे ड्रायव्हर ,प्रवाशांना कस कळणार? काम सुरू आहे तर… pic.twitter.com/WcyYGicqln

— Rashmi Puranik (@Marathi_Rash) September 10, 2025

MSRDC said the nozzles were completely removed by 5 am on Wednesday, and traffic movement on the Hindu Hrudaysmarat Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi Mahamarg returned to normal.

The corporation admitted that the contractor responsible for maintenance had failed to take proper safety measures during and after the repair work. MSRDC has decided to impose a fine on the contractor for this lapse. The police later said that barricades had been put in place, but one of the vehicles broke through them, according to a report by Free Press Journal.

Videos shot by travellers highlighted the chaos. In one such video, a commuter claimed that nails had been hammered into the road and warned of the danger, given that vehicles on the expressway travel at speeds of up to 120 km per hour.

In another video, a traveller alleged that their tyres burst and despite repeated calls to the highway helpline, no help arrived for over three hours. He added that his family, including three infants, had to arrange another vehicle to continue the journey.