The destroyed Transit Camp bridge, which connects the city and cantonment regions, is now being repaired, however after the collapse of the Punjab Assembly (PA), the project’s future is questionable.
The Punjab government has provided a grant-in-aid for the project, and Pakistan Railways and the Cantonment Board are assisting with the bridge and road repairs.
A representative of the district administration stated that the project’s funding had been released and that work would not stop.
A few weeks ago, digging was done at the site, and this caused complications for road users, particularly drivers heading towards Saddar from Westridge, Bakery Chowk, and nearby districts.
The railroad workers who live in the nearby Railway Colony near Bakery Chowk reported having difficulty getting to work as well.
A Pakistan Railways employee complained that it was challenging to ride a motorcycle on the road from Transit Camp to the railway station in the early morning and late at night.
People have difficulty using the road, according to a different railroad employee. The overall length of the road, he claimed, was no more than two or three kilometers, thus the administration should finish reconstruction as soon as possible.
When contacted, Pakistan Railways Divisional Superintendent Inamullah informed Dawn that work on the bridge repair and the road from the train station to Transit Camp had already begun.
He claimed that the bridge needed to be repaired immediately, and the road needed to be rebuilt. However, he asserted, the cantonment board and city government ought to close it for heavy traffic after the bridge is repaired and the road is rebuilt. He stated that the bridge would only be suitable for minor traffic.
The bridge, according to him, might be used for the ensuing 25 years if large vehicles were prohibited.
It should be noted that Pakistan Railways shut down the deteriorating bridge last year over its main track between Rawalpindi and Peshawar after the district government and the cantonment authorities refused to repair it.
After its dike wall fell in September, the bridge was deemed unsafe by railway authorities. People have been struggling as a result of the bridge’s closure because they have to travel a considerable distance to get to Peshawar Road in particular in order to access the cantonment regions.
Commuters who go between the city and cantonment districts cross bridges across the railway track, which serves as the boundary between the two.