Temporary ramp built over stream in Kaghan

MANSEHRA: The National Highway Authority (NHA) on Monday built a temporary ramp over the stream in the Mahandri area of the Kaghan Valley to maintain one-way traffic flow during the installation of a new steel bridge.

“This is peak tourism season, and a complete suspension of traffic for three days could have caused serious inconvenience for passengers and motorists. Building a temporary ramp to facilitate vehicle movement is a welcome step for the business community and tourists who already throng to the valley,” Hussan Deen, Chairman of the Hoteliers Association in Naran, told reporters.

The NHA, with the help of heavy machinery, began replacing the existing small steel bridge with a 33-foot-wide structure on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad (MNJ) Road at Mahandri.According to the district administration, the installation of the new bridge is expected to be completed by Wednesday, after which traffic will be diverted onto the newly installed steel structure.

In the meantime, vehicles have been using the temporary ramp constructed with sand and mud over large culvert pipes to allow river water to flow underneath for the crossing of vehicles.

Eyewitnesses told reporters that passenger coaches travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan were also successfully using the temporary ramp.They said police personnel deployed at Mahandri along the MNJ Road were managing one-way traffic to avoid congestion and ensure safety.

The original central bridge connecting KP with GB, and Kaghan Valley with the rest of Mansehra district, was swept away in flash floods last year, disrupting traffic for over two weeks.“We appreciate the district administration for keeping traffic moving, even if at a limited pace,” Deen said.