The government has approved Rs. 600 million for the completion of the Indus River bridge between Taunsa and Layyah. The project will begin after the completion of two-lane approach roads that stretch over 24 kilometers.
A National Highway Authority (NHA) official told APP on Monday that it will cost over Rs. 9.7 billion. He added the department has spent just over Rs. 5.1 billion on the project in the previous fiscal year. He said that the amount carried forward after July 2022 was over Rs. 4.6 billion.
The official said that the work on the bridge between Layyah and Taunsa has concluded, but roads leading up to the bridge are still unfinished. The bridge connects Layyah, which is on the east bank of the Indus River, to Taunsa, which is on the west bank of the river in the district of DG Khan.
The NHA official said that because there isn’t a good river crossing between the two cities, the only two connections are the DI Khan-Darya Khan Bridge, which is 88 km upstream of the project site, and the Taunsa Barrage, which is 52 km downstream.
Since there is no bridge between Layyah and Taunsa, it is very hard for people to get from Layyah to Taunsa and back because they have to travel 100 km by road. The official highlighted that the Layyah-Taunsa bridge will significantly reduce the travel distance and time for people moving between the two cities.
