Extended Shafiq Morr Bridge inaugurated

The extended Gujjar Nullah-Shafiq Morr Bridge was inaugurated by Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar after three years of reconstruction.

Later, speaking to media personnel, Akhtar requested the Sindh government to construct a service lane and a safety wall alongside the Gujjar Nullah to keep encroachers from again occupying the space cleared off.

He was accompanied by DMC Central chairman Rehan Hashmi, vice chairman Shakir Ali, director general works Shahab Anwer, senior director municipal services Masood Alam and other officers.

The area around the bridge had become a nuisance for commuters owing to regular traffic jams, however, the completion of the project would facilitate the citizens in Ramazan, the mayor said.

He said the traffic flow would improve with the completion of this Rs140 million bridge extension project. The project was initially estimated to cost Rs99 million but ended up costing more owing to delays in approval of the revised PC1, besides other problems, he added. 

The mayor further informed media personnel that encroachments established alongside main roads and on pavements were being removed, adding, that the route from the Stadium Road up to the Millenium Mall has already been cleared off encroachments.

Akhtar claimed that encroachments from the Hawkes Bay road will also soon be removed.

DG Works said the bridge was extended by 51 metres from the left, and 33 metres from the right; a 10-metre safety wall was also constructed at the edge of the drain.

Shahab Anwer said thousands of vehicles passed through the bridge daily, and since the FB Area and New Karachi Industrial areas were also located nearby heavy vehicles also used the bridge.