Indus crossing to relieve bottleneck at Lansdowne Bridge; Bhutto Expressway to be operational in April
KARACHI:
In a major effort to untangle chronic congestion in upper Sindh, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has approved a new bridge linking Sukkur and Rohri, a project aimed at transforming mobility across a fast-growing economic corridor. The move comes as traffic pressure on the old Lansdowne Bridge reaches a tipping point, with authorities racing to provide alternative routes and speed up key infrastructure, including the almost complete Shaheed Bhutto Expressway.
The approval was given during the 51st Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Policy Board meeting held at the Chief Minister House, where key infrastructure initiatives and policy reforms were also endorsed.
The proposed Sukkur-Rohri Bridge will serve as an alternative route to the historic Lansdowne Bridge, significantly reducing traffic pressure and facilitating smoother movement between Sukkur, Rohri and adjoining areas.
Briefing the meeting, Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said the twin cities of Sukkur and Rohri have become a single economic and urban corridor, with nearly 70 per cent of the residents of Rohri, Saleh Pat and Pano Aqil commuting to Sukkur for employment, education, healthcare and commercial activities.
Today, Lansdowne Bridge serves as the main crossing, while Sukkur Barrage provides additional support. However, due to ongoing rehabilitation work, the dam will remain closed to traffic until at least 2027, further intensifying the load on existing routes.
The Prime Minister was informed that more than 30,000 vehicles use the Lansdowne Bridge daily. Due to its historic character and structural limitations, heavy traffic, especially vehicles heading to national roads such as the N-5 and M-5, is restricted, causing severe congestion at peak times and affecting emergency response services.
To address these challenges, CM Shah approved funds under the Project Development Fund (PDF) to hire consultants. The project will be executed under PPP model by the Sindh Local Government Department.
The new bridge will be built north of Bukkur Island and will span approximately 1.5 kilometers. It will be a multi-lane facility designed to accommodate heavy commercial traffic, along with dedicated pedestrian paths.
The PPP Board also reviewed the progress on the 39-kilometer Shaheed Bhutto Expressway, which reached 88.2 percent progress. The chief minister directed authorities to ensure that the project becomes fully operational by April 2026. Approval was also granted for the installation of solar-powered street lights on a 4.5-kilometre elevated section near Sammu Goth, along with a 25-year maintenance plan to improve safety.
Meanwhile, the board approved the feasibility study and detailed design of the Kathore Interchange to improve connectivity at the expressway end.
The meeting also endorsed key reforms to strengthen the PPP framework. New rules were approved to review abnormal bids, and any bid that exceeds or falls below the estimated cost by more than 15 percent will be rejected.
A formal mechanism for unsolicited proposals from the private sector, including the ‘Right of First Refusal’ (ROFR), was also introduced.
