Hub Bridge needs immediate rehabilitation, warns NHA

The National Highway Authority has been alerted that the Hub Bridge needs to be majorly rehabilitated or a new bridge constructed immediately.

The bridge is part of the N-25 connects the Karachi and Gwadar ports with Central Asian corridors through the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman, through the Karachi-Quetta-Chaman National Highway route N-25 as well as to Iran via N-40.

The volume of traffic is very high on the Hub Bridge 24/7, the NHA’s director of maintenance for Balochistan (south) Khuzdar wrote in a letter to the NHA’s general manager of RAMD in Islamabad.

“In order to avoid major damage to the old structure of the Hub Bridge and loss of precious lives as well as to the national exchequer, it is crucial that either the major rehabilitation of the Hub Bridge or construction of a new bridge is to be executed by the NHA.”

He has also asked for a structural expert to visit the site and provide a detailed design and working methodology, including diversion estimates.

The issue has been brought to the notice of Chief Minister Jam Kamal as well.

Pictures and footage of the Hub Bridge show that part of the structure is crumbling.

This is NHA’s bridge. GM South NHA visited the bridge after the video was made viral & has confirmed that the structure of the bridge is stable. Unfortunately the video was made from an angle which does not reflect the true picture. NED University people are is in touch with NHA https://t.co/IHww0QfC3b pic.twitter.com/UHg4GStjyM

— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) September 5, 2020

Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab posted on Twitter that the structure of the bridge is stable and the pictures and videos on social media do not reflect the "true picture".