KARACHI, July 2: The bridge over Lyari river’s section at Teen Hatti, connecting Liaquatabad, Federal “B” Area, Shahrah-i- Pakistan, Superhighway and several other localities with downtown through busy Jahangir Road continues to be under repair and closed to heavy vehicles since damage caused to it by a fire a week ago.

Initially the repair was observed to be progressing rapidly. However, now its pace has slowed down. One may wonder when this bridge will be fit again for plying heavy vehicles.

While the operators of heavy vehicles may be feeling a pinch for having to ply on a somewhat longer alternative route, their temporary re-routing has brought to fore a stark reality that the dual track Jahangir Road which transits millions of vehicles day and night between downtown and uptown is appropriate only for the amount of smaller vehicles it is temporarily transiting.

Inclusion of heavier vehicles only creates a worst congestion besides environment hazard for residents of the area who daily have to bear billows of smoke coming off the heavy vehicles.

Since this vital road has no room for expansion on either side due to drainline beneath the footpath and constructed premises lined up immediately after the drains, plans to prepare a permanent alternative route for heavy vehicles needs to be put in offing as soon as possible.

One portion of this road hosts some manholes built sub-standardly in the middle of the track which either repeatedly overflow due to poor sewerage maintenance or get broken by the wheels of heavy vehicles, resultantly increasing congestion and causing accidents as well as damaging the road soon after its repair.

Perhaps the cost of repeated repair of Jahangir Road and the manholes on it may suffice to build an alternative road for heavy vehicles and at the same time reduce the health hazard for residents in terms of lesser vehicular smoke.—APP