Barring heavy transport: Bab-e-Peshawar flyover construction quality comes under question

PESHAWAR: Barring heavy transport from the multi-level Bab-e-Peshawar flyover has raised concerns about the construction quality and reliability of the structure that had developed cracks recently.

The 2.2 kilometer long flyover was constructed by the National Logistics Cell at the Phase-III Chowk in Hayatabad in a record five months.The project was completed at a cost of Rs1.72 billion to regulate traffic to Hayatabad, Karkhano Market, and the adjacent Khyber Agency.

Viewed as one of the flagship projects of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the flyover was inaugurated on January 18, 2016.The importance of the project could be gauged from the fact that the PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PTI’s junior coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq had attended the inaugural ceremony and claimed credit for executing the project

The PTI had time and again boasted that the project was completed in a record time.The flyover, however, later developed cracks. These were repaired after the media highlighted the issue. Now the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) has deployed private security guards and traffic wardens at the flyover and displayed a public notice for the motorists and public transport vehicles.

The notice reads: “Heavy traffic not allowed to pass through the flyover. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”A traffic warden Anwarul Haq, who was on duty at the flyover to keep out heavy vehicles, said he had been deployed some three days ago. He was instructed not to allow heavy transport to use the flyover for entering or leaving Hayatabad.

The traffic cop said he was told that heavy vehicles plying the flyover had caused damage to the structure and were now barred from using it.Almas, a PDA security guard deployed along with the traffic wardens, said he came on duty on January 31 and wasn’t sure for how long he would remain there.

Director General PDA Israrul Haq said that heavy vehicles were barred from Bab-e-Peshawar flyover on the directives of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Muhammad Azam Khan.He said the flyover was not meant for use by heavy vehicles.

“It was designed to sustain up to 70 tonnes of weight but unfortunately heavy vehicles plying the bridge carry over 100 tonnes of weight. That is why we barred heavy vehicles from using the flyover,” he added.

The PDA chief pointed out that heavy vehicles carrying goods from the Karachi seaport to Afghanistan through Torkham border carried over 100 tonnes of weight while using the flyover.He said heavy vehicles carrying construction material for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project also used the flyover.

“These heavy machines which carry more than standard 70 tonnes of weight are not now allowed to ply the flyover as this could cause damage to the structure,” he elaborated.The PDA director general denied the reports that the flyover had been closed to heavy transport because it developed cracks. He insisted there was no threat to the structure.“These reports are mere assumptions and are not true. The flyover is safe for traffic and there is no risk of its collapse,” he maintained.