Bridge on Super Highway falls victim to neglect

Marred by potholes, ruptures and garbage piles, it has awaited carpeting for over a year

KARACHI: A bridge - said to be the gateway to Karachi on Super Highway - has been reduced to a death trap by multiple potholes and ruptures marring the ramp. However, despite the threat it poses to commuters' lives and safety, relevant authorities have seemingly abandoned it, as it has awaited carpeting for over a year now while on the road to ruin.

The track connecting Sohrab Goth to Yusuf Plaza and crossing over Lyari River, in particular, presents a dreary picture, with broken remains of the protective railing along its edges increasing the chances of pedestrians falling into the river manifold. Adding to the problem are truckloads of garbage and dirt littering the bridge, several encroachments and a shanty town taking shape near the first roundabout of the M-9 motorway. The junctions on the bridge, along the length of the M-9 track, leading to Lyari, are in a dire need of the government's attention, with garbage cramming this space instead of paved parking areas, fuel stations and turfs adding to its utility and beauty.

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Moreover, there is a need to construct overhead pedestrian bridges and U-turns along the bridge's ramp to reduce the chances of pedestrians crossing it meeting with an accident.

However, while the bridge is left in a sorry state, troubled commuters and pedestrians look up to Prime Minister Imran Khan, communications minister Murad Saeed, National Highway Authority chairperson Captain (retd) Sikander Qayyum, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar to take notice of the problem.

It has also been suggested that Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who has time and again expressed interest in resolving the issues of Karachi, instruct the CM to personally inspect the dilapidated structure and allocate funds for its immediate reconstruction and carpeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2020.