LUCKNOW Barely a day after the Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway opened to traffic, the high-speed corridor witnessed its first fatal crash, prompting NHAI to tighten surveillance after two young men on a motorcycle entered the access-controlled expressway despite a complete ban on two and three-wheelers.Banthra police and NHAI personnel rushed the injured men to the Sarojini Nagar community health centre, where Himanshu was declared dead. Shailendra was referred to the KGMU Trauma Centre but succumbed to his injuries later. (Pic for representation)The victims, Himanshu Singh, 25, of Arjunamau in Unnao’s Sohramau area and Shailendra Singh, 24, of Sandila in Hardoi, allegedly entered the expressway through the Darogakhera–Junabganj access point while returning home from Lucknow on Wednesday evening. Around 6pm, near the 20.5-km mark in the Banthra area, their motorcycle was hit by a speeding vehicle reportedly travelling on the wrong side.Banthra police and NHAI personnel rushed the injured men to the Sarojini Nagar community health centre, where Himanshu was declared dead. Shailendra was referred to the KGMU Trauma Centre but succumbed to his injuries later. Police said neither rider was wearing a helmet.The accident has brought into sharp focus the challenge of enforcing restrictions on newest access-controlled highways. Though two and three-wheelers are prohibited from using the expressway, the riders were able to enter the corridor without being stopped, raising questions over monitoring and access control at entry points.Following the accident, NHAI and police have stepped up enforcement. Police patrol vehicles were deployed on Thursday to prevent two and three-wheelers from entering the expressway, project director Nakul Varma said.Varma said the expressway currently has no physical barriers at its entry points, as it was designed for seamless movement of authorised vehicles, with access control primarily at the exit. “People are perhaps not yet accustomed to the restrictions on access-controlled expressways. We have been widely publicising that two-wheelers and three-wheelers are not allowed, but despite that, some riders continue to enter the corridor, putting their lives at risk,” he said.He added that if violations continue, NHAI will consider installing physical barriers at entry points to prevent unauthorised vehicles from accessing the expressway.Meanwhile, Banthra police registered a case against the unidentified driver involved in the hit-and-run and launched an investigation to trace the vehicle.The 63-km Lucknow–Kanpur Expressway, inaugurated on July 13 by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, was built to enable high-speed travel between the two cities. The first fatal accident on the corridor has now underscored that infrastructure alone cannot ensure safety unless access restrictions are effectively enforced and motorists strictly adhere to the rules.