MANSEHRA: The National Highway Authority (NHA) on Thursday restored traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan after suspension for three days following the successful installation of a large steel bridge over a stream in the Mahandri area of Kaghan Valley here.

“The widening and installation of the central bridge, which was swept away in flash floods last year and temporarily replaced by a small structure, has now been completed,” Balakot assistant commissioner Nadir Khan told reporters in the Mahandri area.

The district administration had announced a three-day closure of the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad (MNJ) Road to traffic between the two federating units to allow the installation of a 33-foot-wide bridge over the Mahandri stream, which flows downstream in the Kunhar River at the same point.

The NHA, in order to facilitate emergency crossings during the closure, had also constructed a temporary ramp adjacent to the new structure, allowing limited tourists, ambulances and essential movement.

“Since the original bridge was washed away in last year’s floods, traffic was managed through a narrow temporary structure, causing severe congestion and hardship, especially during the tourism season,” Mr Khan said.

He said currently, with the installation of the new bridge, two-way traffic flow significantly improving connectivity and easing traffic during peak tourist days.

In celebration of the restored access, residents and the business community, led by Hotel Association president Seth Matiullah and chairman Hussain Deen, gathered at the bridge, distributed sweets and offered special prayers.

“The old narrow bridge had become a major hurdle to traffic for passengers and tourists, but this new facility will comfortably accommodate two-way traffic, shrinking the distance between KP and GB significantly via the MNJ Road compared to the Karakoram Highway,” Mr Deen said.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2025