The damaged section of the Soan Bridge, which caved in a week ago due to landslides and the ongoing construction work on National Highway N-5 amid heavy downpours, could not be open to traffic despite tall claims by the city administrators.
Although the National Highway Authority (NHA) and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) managed to transport a portable Bailey bridge from Gilgit to the garrison city, it could not be installed on the damaged section of the Soan Bridge until the filing of this report.
Sources said once the ongoing installation of the temporary bridge was complete, the bridge would only open for light traffic travelling from Rawat to Rawalpindi.
Since the collapse of a portion of the Soan Bridge on the night between Sunday and Monday (June 25-26), all vehicular traffic has been closed on the route between Rawat and Rawalpindi.
A primary reason for the collapse was erosion at the base of the bridge due to flooding which resulted in a part of the bridge collapsing, creating a massive crater.
Regulating the flow of traffic, the city traffic police designed an alternative route and diverted the traffic through the private housing societies, however, due to the excessive load of traffic travelling from Rawat to Rawalpindi, there were severe snarl-ups.
While the repair work was undergoing on the affected portion of the bridge it was learned that a meeting of NHA and FWO officials was also held in which the city administration and the city traffic police officials also participated.
During the meeting, the authorities issued instructions to repair the bridge as quickly as possible and reopen it to traffic.
It has been learnt that the damaged part of the bridge has to be concreted to completely restore it which might take some time. Therefore, it was decided that as a stopgap arrangement, a temporary bridge with a steel structure, also known as the Bailey bridge and such bridges are used by the FWO on rough and steep routes, would be installed on the affected section to temporarily maintain the flow of traffic.
On Wednesday, a senior NHA officer had told The Express Tribune that given the efforts of the FWO director general, a 60-feet Bailey bridge was brought from Gilgit and was being assembled. “After the temporary bridge is fixed on the affected part of the Soan Bridge by Wednesday night or Thursday morning, it will be open for light transport vehicles,” the NHA officer had said.
However, the temporary bridge could not be installed and on the three days of Eidul Azha, the other side of the affected part of the bridge continued to be used for two-way traffic due to which long queues of vehicles were formed in late hours.
On the other hand, Chief Traffic Officer Taimur Khan also reviewed the location of the affected bridge and the traffic duty on Saturday.
He said due to the bridge being affected, the Rawalpindi-Rawat side of the bridge is being used for two-way traffic. The affected section will be opened for light traffic once the temporary Bailey bridge is installed, however, the entry of heavy traffic will remain blocked, he added.
He went on to explain that the heavy traffic was being diverted into Rawalpindi via T-Chowk, Karal, Amar Chowk and Kachehri Chowk. He advised the drivers to be patient while driving in the city and not to make a double line.
The CTO further said that until the bridge was completely restored to traffic, the city traffic police personnel will continue to perform their duties as usual and alternative routes will also remain in place.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2023.
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