Bridging the gap: ‘Karachi needs more pedestrian bridges’

13 proposed pedestrian bridges in KMC's 2014-15 budget were cancelled due to technical issues


Ppi October 22, 2014

KARACHI:


The country's largest city, Karachi, according to civil engineering experts, does not have enough pedestrian bridges.


These bridges, they believe, could save people from road accidents and traffic jams. A senior civil engineer who did not wish to be named said that two of the 13 proposed pedestrian bridges in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's 2014-15 budget were cancelled due to technical issues, seven were completed while there weren't enough funds left for the rest to be finished this year.

The two bridges were proposed to be built on National Highway. One was supposed to be constructed near Prince Aly Boys and Girls School in Malir while the other was supposed to be built near Abbott Laboratory.

"There are many other locations where a common citizen could need a bridge," he said. "It is important to have pedestrian bridges near hospitals and flyovers. In Karachi, there are a lot of flyovers but not enough pedestrian bridges."

While talking about the need for a pedestrian bridge on Shaheed-e-Millat Expressway Road, the senior director of the transport and communication department, Muhammad Athar, said that construction work on the pedestrian bridge near The City School's PAF Chapter has not been cancelled but had moved to another location on the same stretch of the road due to the presence of high-tension wires near the school.

However, sources claim that a pedestrian bridge was needed in the area as a large number of school children and their parents cross the road daily. Due to the bad traffic, it is dangerous for them to do so during rush hour.

A total of Rs2.84 million were approved for the construction of the bridge. However, it was later decided to be put on hold as no prior studies had been carried out on the project. Athar added that it was on their agenda to complete the project but due to the presence of high-tension wires it did seemed unlikely.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2014.

 

COMMENTS (1)

Dajjal | 9 years ago | Reply

When you have a govt. as corrupt and incompetent as the one Sindh is suffering with, its not surprising that funds allocated to projects get siphoned off...

Another place in need of a pedestrian bridge is Shariah-e-Quaideen....

However, there is no guarantee that constructing these bridges will stop accidents as most people ignore these bridges and cross the roads like idiots anyway...

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