GUJRAT: The over six decades old bridge over Rehmania storm water channel on the main GT Road has become dilapidated, with cracks appearing in its structure and potholes on the road, posing a serious threat to vehicular traffic between Lahore and Islamabad.
Motorists frequently using the bridge have expressed serious apprehensions over its condition, demanding the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to avert any tragedy.
As per the officials of the National Highways Authority (NHA), the bridge over Rehmania storm water channel had been built around 63 years ago and completed its prescribed lifespan some two decades ago.
However, despite its dilapidated condition, the authorities neither banned it for traffic nor demolished the bridge for the construction of a new structure to ensure commuters’ safety.
According to sources, the NHA had informed the district administration and the National Highway and Motorway Police (NH&MP) some three years ago that the bridge would be demolished for the construction of a new one at the same site.
The sources say that in October 2023, the NH&MP officials had blocked the bridge for traffic, but it was again opened the very next day, allegedly on the direction of the authority high-ups.
They say that Gujrat Deputy Commissioner Nurulain Qureshi and NH&MP officials have raised the issue with the NHA’s concerned authorities recently and recommended a concrete action plan to rectify the problem forthwith.
The sourcesindicate that, although the NHA has been conducting repair work on the bridge periodically in recent years, its condition has not improved significantly.
A motorist, Nadeem Warraich, of Wazirabad, who narrowly escaped a serious accident a couple of days ago while traveling by his car, that hit a dangerous pothole on the bridge, say that its top slab has been rendered almost non-trafficable.
Given the bridge’s dilapidated condition, concerned citizens apprehend that it could collapse or cause any tragic accidents, urging the NH&MP to close it for traffic immediately.
Sources in NHA say that a Rs800 million scheme has been approved for the reconstruction of the bridge at the same site and it is now in structural designing phase.
Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026