The Rawat-Kutchery road in Rawalpindi is a nuisance for commuters
RAWALPINDI: The journey from Rawat to Kutchery Chowk has become arduous; it takes hours, and commuters must traverse a rugged, potholed, and bumpy road. In addition, repair work on the June 27-damaged Soan River Bridge is still ongoing, rendering public transport miserable.
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The National Highway Administration (NHA) recently changed the road’s name to Potohar Avenue.
It connects numerous densely populated housing communities, but its deplorable condition makes it difficult for residents to commute, particularly since the bridge is closed for repairs.
Residents of the housing societies who commute daily between Rawat and Kutchery appear powerless to persuade the relevant authorities to remove the waste that has accumulated on the road’s uneven portion near Fauji Foundation Hospital, Al Shifa Eye Trust, and NLC establishments.
Due to a dearth of drains, the newly-built bridge over the Soan River near the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench building (on the Rawat side) becomes flooded during the rainy season.
Commuters claim that ongoing repairs to the June 27-damaged Soan River Bridge are causing traffic jams.
On Friday, video snippets of automobiles submerged in rainwater went viral on social media.
Due to a dearth of drains and poor engineering, rainwater accumulates on the bridge, causing traffic congestion and long lines of vehicles.
The lack of sanitation makes it more difficult for commuters to traverse the area. Even debris and sludge on the roadway are neglected by the relevant authorities.
Due to the collapse of the bridge, heavy traffic is prohibited on the busiest route, causing frequent traffic congestion.
“I am a university student who uses this road daily. “Due to the sluggish traffic and frequent traffic jams, I have missed numerous classes,” said Mohammad Asif.
According to him, it takes more than an hour to travel two kilometres, which frustrates commuters.
A teacher stated, “Like hundreds of other commuters, I am frequently caught in hours-long traffic jams.”
Parallel to the original safety wall, a new concrete wall was erected to block drain holes along the old bridge.
A senior NHA official was unable to explain the rationale behind erecting the second safety barrier and obstructing the drainage.
Thousands of commuters have encountered difficulties as a result of poor planning and road engineering, with some claiming that the old bridge was superior to the new one, which has already claimed the lives of two people in a traffic accident caused by poor management.
