TAKHT BHAI: The people of northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) took a sigh of relief after completion of work on the long delayed Takht Bhai flyover in Mardan district by the federal government, as they will not have to suffer massive traffic jams that has been a common sight in the area since the beginning of this project.
The flyover, built over railway crossing on the Nowshera-Chitral Highway (N-45), had been opened for all kinds of traffic and would help facilitate over seven million people of the seven northern districts of KP.
Talking to reporters, Takht Bhai flyover Project Director Arshad Khan said that work on this much delayed project had been recently completed by the National Highway Authority (NHA).
The project was initiated by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government to benefit people of 11 districts, including Malakand, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Mardan and Bajaur Agency.
Arshad Khan said that the project would help provide speedy communication facilities to people of Malakand division, besides saving their precious time while commuting to Peshawar or Islamabad without worrying about traffic jams.
The Takht Bhai flyover contract was awarded on 28th November, 2012 after which work on it was formally started on 6th February, 2013, he added.
Khan further said that the bridge was supposed to have 9 pillars according to the initial design that was later increased to 24 pillars by the officials concerned. The total length of the flyover is about 609 metres with a width of 9.3 metres, while the maximum length of the bridge at railway crossing was 9 metres, he added.
In addition to a service road, high electricity poles for provision of lighting services to drivers and motorists were also installed alongside the bridge. Prior to its completion, the commuters and residents of Takht Bhai and its adjacent areas had been facing great problems due to constant delays suffered by the project.
The project would help promote tourism in Malakand division, including Swat, besides enhancing trade and business activities in the entire region through seamless connectivity.