BHAKKAR: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of a bridge on Indus River to connect Bhakkar and Dera Ismail (DI) Khan.
Costing Rs7 billion, the bridge would establish a new road link between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces to facilitate the transportation of agricultural produces and other goods.
The project will be entirely funded by the federal government, and Rs400 million has already been allocated for its construction for the fiscal year 2017-18.
Currently, there are 15 crossing points over River Indus with none including bridges, barrages, and headworks (wider than 20 feet), that are insufficient to accommodate the traffic congestion and load.
The bridge will link Kallur Kot area of Bhakkar and DI Khan’s Dhaki area by reducing the distance from 80 kilometers to just 15 kilometers.
The design life of the bridge is expected to 100 years, and the project would take around 18 months to complete. Being a component of China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the bridge will be linked with DI Khan-Islamabad motorway.