KOHAT, Nov 3: The National Highway Authority will build a quake-proof bridge at Khushalgarah on the Indus River at a cost of Rs4.23 billion.

The bridge is part of the N-80 section of the National Highway between Rawalpindi and the Afghan border in the tribal Kurram Agency, says an NHA report.

It will be the largest bridge in south-east Asia and construction work will start next year in accordance with the feasibility prepared by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The new bridge would take traffic load off the existing century-old iron bridge on the Indus near Khushalgarh. The study on environmental impacts of the N-80 and the bridge has already been completed.

The height of the bridge has been determined keeping in view the height of proposed Kalabagh Dam which will be 280 meters above the sea level. After construction of the dam at a distance of 70 kilometres down stream towards south, the existing bridge will submerge in water. Its alternate bridges are at Attock and Jinnah Barrage, which are 70 kilometres away in the north and west respectively.

The new bridge will have two stories, — one for railway track and other for road. Its design has been finalised on the basis of satellite images, environmental surveys and after conducting public interviews to keep its length reasonable, avoid displacement of people and harm to forests.

Out of the four sites identified for a new bridge, the NHA has selected Dhok Munir because here its cost would be comparatively less and its construction would require a small portion of private land.

The report says that the N-80 will start from Tarnol and after passing through Bisal, Fateh Jang, Jand in the Punjab and Kohat, Hangu, Thall and Parachinar in the NWFP it will terminate near the Afghan border.

A portion of the highway between Gumbat and Kohat has already been completed by the Frontier Highway Authority. The road, completed two years after its schedule date, is said to be not of international standard; it has been repaired twice after its construction.

The feasibility of its 55-kilometre Kohat-Thall section-1 and 51-kilometre Kohat-Thall section-II is in final stages. The Asian Development Bank has already floated international tenders for these two sections.

The land for construction of the N-80 was handed over to the NHA by the communication and works departments of Punjab and NWFP in 2005. The new bridge will be property of the NHA whereas the old iron bridge was owned and operated by Pakistan Railways.

Construction of a new bridge has been a long-standing demand of area people, especially business community, because long vehicles and containers could not use the old bridge which has 90 degree turns at its both ends and was declared dangerous a few years ago.