KOHAT, June 7: The condition of the 120-year-old steel bridge on river Indus, which connects Kohat with Rawalpindi, has deteriorated to a great extent and the bridge has become dangerous for public use, Highway Department officials told Dawn.

The bridge, which serves as the main link between the NWFP and Punjab was constructed in 1887. The entrance to the bridge was so narrow that heavy trucks and buses were usually stuck in it and damaged. After a long dispute between the two provinces over its maintenance and reconstruction, the railway was entrusted with the responsibility for its annual maintenance to avoid any major mishap. The railways also imposed a two-way toll tax of Rs5 per vehicle.

This bridge was constructed along with 13 small bridges by the British for transportation of troops and ammunition from Punjab to the Eastern border with Afghanistan in Parachinar to counter the threat of Russian invasion. It also helped a lot Pakistan army during the Afghan war for the transportation of ammunition and troops to push back the Russian forces which had reached the border area of Teri Mengal.

Despite manifold increase in the number of vehicles, traffic on these bridges is still one way, while only one vehicle could pass on them at a time.

Sometime ago, during a visit to these bridges, the NWFP Governor, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, had promised to construct the entire 260km-long road and reconstruct all the bridges in the way which would serve as the shortest possible route to reach the Central Asian states after the refusal of the Punjab government and the NHA to take up the project.

He had ordered that the provincial highway authority would complete the project and collect the revenue thus generated. However, even the survey of the project had not been started.