Farah: A bridge too narrow for heavy traffic

FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): The Regi Bridge, connecting Farah City with three districts, is too narrow for the smooth flow of, residents complain.

The bridge on Farah River links Pusht-i-Rod, Khak-i-Safid and Bala Baluk districts to the provincial capital and serves an important route for traffic flows to neighbouring Iran.

Mohammad Wazir, a trader from the Dewal Surkh area of Khak-i-Safid district, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Regi bridge is too narrow for long vehicles to cross it. They keep the route closed for hours and result in wasting people’s time.”

Wazir added imports from Iran crossed the same route before being transported to Herat and Kandahar provinces.

He asked the government to build another auxiliary bridge next to Regi to address problems of the people.

A driver, Abdul Hameed, told Pajhwok: “We stay for hours near the bridge, which is so narrow. This frequently leads to traffic jams. Two vehicles cannot cross the bridge simultaneously.”

Gul Rahman, another resident of the province, called the bridge the only link between the three districts and the provincial capital. The government must address the issue, he stressed.

Public Works Department officials acknowledge the issue. But they say the government can do nothing about it right now, because it has no funds for the construction of another bridge.

Public Works Director Maulvi Abdul Wadud Mutasim said: “We have shared the issue several times with provincial and central government officials. We have only got promises of cooperation but actual work is yet to begin.”

Mutasim explained the government did not have funds for building a new bridge. Once funds were made available, he assured, a second bridge would be constructed.

The 200-metre-long and five metres wide Regi bridge was built in 2017 at a cost of 81 million afs.

aw/mud