Four years later: Shafeeq Morr Bridge extension continues at snail’s pace

Monsoon season, delayed release of funds cited as reasons for slow progress

KARACHI: Sindh government has become a victim of its own failed projects, as the broadening of the Shafiq Morr Bridge from two lanes to three, which started four years ago, has turned into a nightmare for motorists that it is unable to manage.

Due to the construction of the Green Line Bus Rapid Transit project on Sher Shah Suri Road and University Road simultaneously, the traffic on Rashid Minhas Road, where the Shafiq Morr Bridge is located, has increased drastically. This bridge becomes the most troublesome point for the traffic and remains choked for hours in the day and night.

The expansion work started in 2013 on the track from Nagan Chowrangi towards Sohrab Goth, which was completed by 2014 after several hiccups. In 2014, work on the other track from Sohrab Goth towards Nagan Chowrangi kicked off but this has yet to be completed.

Construction is being carried by the Sindh government's works and service department (WSD) instead of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. District Municipal Corporation Central's elected chairman Rehan Hashmi claimed the project was not in their domain. "We have taken up this matter with the authorities several times," he said, adding that their attitude is always very sluggish.

A resident of the area, Faizan Ali, asked how the government could start construction on all the main arteries of the city at once, without completing projects it started years ago. The widening of the Shafiq Morr Bridge, he said, should have been completed before work on the other projects kicked off.

Reasons for the delay

In August, the monsoon season was cited as the cause of the delay in the project. WSD engineer Abdul Mutalib had told The Express Tribune that they were unable to work due to impending rainfall. "The work was stopped keeping in view the monsoon season as we had to halt the flow of the water in Gujjar Nullah to carry out the construction work," he had said in August.

However, he had vowed to resume construction work by October and complete the project by December. When The Express Tribune visited the area, the construction work was continuing at a snail's pace. An engineer at the site, on the condition of anonymity, said that the work will once again stop in few days, as the width of the bridge is now being extended from 7 to 11 metres.

Due to this, the engineer explained that the project cost has increased. The revised estimates were approved by the Sindh government but the funds have not yet been released. According to the official, the project was 'full of problems since its inception'.

He explained that the funds were released in many phases by the Sindh government, which halted its construction. They previously received 25% of the funds after every few months, he said, adding there were problems of encroachments and utility lines besides flaws in the project design.

Meanwhile, Mutalib explained that they will turn the two-lane bridge into a three-lane one, along with a service road of two lanes on the portion leading towards Nagan Chowrangi, as the track receives high volumes of traffic. There is no service road, according to him, on the other track towards Sohrab Goth, which has already been constructed. He assured that the construction would be complete by March 'if all goes well'.

Expansion Joints 

Several ditches are present on the track towards Sohrab Goth, which is already completed. When asked about those ditches, Mutalib responded that they have to be covered with the expansion joints, which they would have to import. Once the under construction track is completed, he said that they would import the expansion joints for both the tracks.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2017.