Pedestrian bridge needs reconstruction

Citizens left to their own devices as infrastructure crumbles at the hands of neglect

KARACHI:

The dilapidated pedestrian bridge located over Maripur Road has started shaking while the floor of the bridge is missing from multiple places due to which many people have stopped using it.

The dilapidated bridge can lead to fatal accidents, especially during night. Besides that, the broken parts of the bridge can cause people to fall on a road where heavy vehicular traffic runs round-the-clock.

The poorly maintained bridge has exposed the performance of the city administration, locals said. As the pedestrian bridge is almost unusable, women and children who are facing severe difficulties. The dilapidated bridge scares pedestrians and most of the citizens have stopped using it. A citizen said that the bridge has completed its term. Yesterday, a child was about to fall from the bridge, but fortunately, residents managed to save his life.

Another area resident said that there have been many accidents in the past, but the repair work in the area has been at a slow pace. He said that the bridge has been in this poor condition for the last six months, but no one is ready to solve this issue.

Heavy traffic passes on the Maripur Road, so crossing the road on foot is no less than torture, due to which normal life has been severely affected. The area residents said that if any accident happens, will the administration take responsibility for it?

Seeing the condition of this bridge explains that repairing the bridge would make no difference as it is in dire need of reconstruction. Citizens are forced to make arrangements to prevent accidents.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2022.