Valued at Rs. 3,006.690 million, 65% of the physical construction is now finalized
Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah presents a birth certificate to a parent during the launch of the Civil Registration Management System (CRMS) mobile application at CM House in Karachi on November 28. PHOTO: PPI
KARACHI:
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has officially set May 2026 as the deadline for the completion of the Malir River Bridge.
The chief minister’s directive follows an assessment of the project’s progress by a specialist team of the Planning and Development (P&D) department, which also inspected the N-5 Murghi Khana Bridge in Quaidabad to ensure compliance with regional connectivity standards. Previously, in December, the date set for the completion of the bridge was March 2026, but it has now been extended.
Technical briefings presented to the Sindh CM reveal that the project, valued at Rs. 3,006.690 million, 65% of the physical construction is now finalized. On the budgetary side, around 61.6% of the total budget has already been used. CM Shah stressed that while speed is essential, “the quality of development work remains paramount”, warning officials that no shortcuts would be tolerated as the project enters its final stages.
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To ensure the structural longevity of the bridge, the P&D team carried out on-site non-destructive testing (NDT) to verify the strength of the concrete, as well as rigorous checks of the measurements of the beams and sleepers. The team indicated that the current pace of work is satisfactory, although some external obstacles remain.
To address logistical bottlenecks, the Sindh CM took note of the delays caused by changes in utility services. He ordered that official letters be sent to K-Electric to expedite the relocation of their infrastructure, which is currently hindering progress. Additionally, he ordered the immediate purchase and storage of gravel and aggregates for the ramps, noting that a transparent supply chain is the only way to ensure the project remains on track until its inauguration in 2026.
In 2022, the traffic police requested the expansion of the bridge, the first bridge built over the Malir River in the city’s history. They sent a letter to the Karachi Commissioner in this regard, stating that the National Highway Authority had constructed the Malir Bridge in 1970. The bridge has two lanes on either side. To ensure smooth traffic and reduce travel times for citizens, it is necessary to widen the bridge from two to four lanes for rapid fluidity of all automobile traffic.
