Pakistan's Largest Japanese Steel Bridge Road Trip Connecting CPEC Route

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zafar

30 Oct 2021

Pakistan's Largest Japanese Steel Bridge Road Trip Connecting CPEC Route. I'm traveling on Fort Munro Japanese Steel Bridge. It is located in the Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab Province. It is a 33-kilometer long mountain area of N-70. This famous hill station of Fort Munro in South Punjab can be a game-changer not only for the local population but also for the entire country as well. My cell phone automatically changed the Time zone in this area. four hours difference from Pakistan Standard Time. The steel bridges are 11.5 kilometers long, connecting south Punjab to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor via N-70 from Bahawalpur to Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Fort Munro to Qila Saifullah to Gwadar and Iran-Pakistan border at Taftan, the architectural gem project had decreased vehicles’ operational and maintenance costs and travel hours between Punjab and Balochistan provinces. It is a tribal region of Tuman Leghari. It is Starting from Rakhi Gaaj-Khar-Bewata, the steel bridge project makes the hilly portion of the road wide and safe for Gwadar-bound cargo traffic with the installation of eight steel bridges. It is connecting the Iran-Pakistan border and Gwadar via N-70, now It is fully functional for heavy traffic. the first phase of East-West improvement of N-70 from Rakhi Gaaj-Khar-Bewata had been completed with the Japanese financial assistance worth Rs 14 billion. The second phase was the construction of 55km dual carriageway from Rakhi Gaj to Dera Ghazi, the federal government had allocated funds for the project in the Public Sector Development Programme 2019/20. Japan’s most advanced technology was utilized in the steel bridges. This unique type of steel is not available in Pakistan. The technology includes box-shaped girders made of maintenance-free steel for more than 100 years and special embankment wall using light and strong material. Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif had requested Japan for a soft loan to establish the steel bridges. the Fort Munro steel bridges project was executed in 2016. the hilly portion of Dera-Taftan Road from Rakhi Gaaj to high mountains of Fort Munro was constructed in the late 19th century by the British rulers as a part of the strategic forward policy in the subcontinent. the project site was traffic chokepoint with continuous steep, slopes, and sharp curves. Japan had provided concessional loans with the lowest markup rate of 0.2pc and the repayment period was 40 years with 10 years grace period. Japan had provided $142 million to improve N-70. the physical work had been executed in 2016 and it was completed in the shortest period of three years with the help of Japanese and Pakistani engineers. A single-track road has been expanded to double track and sharp curves with a radius of eight meters to 30 meters. Now big trailers and trucks carrying heavy loads, passenger buses, vans are moving on the route after the steel bridges gave a solution to the most dangerous and sharp curves in more than 6,000 feet high hilly area across Fort Munro. The Iranian cargo trucks are also entering Punjab through Fort Munro steel bridges. Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country with a population exceeding 212.2 million. By area, it is the 33rd-largest country, spanning 881,913 square kilometers. Punjab is Pakistan's most populous province, with an estimated population of 110,012,442 as of 2017. Forming the bulk of the transnational Punjab region, it is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the enclave of Islamabad, and Azad Kashmir. Balochistan is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. It is the largest province in terms of land area, forming the southwestern region of the country, but it is the least populated. Its provincial capital and largest city is Quetta. Dera Ghazi Khan, abbreviated as D. G. Khan, is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 19th Largest city in Pakistan. It is the headquarters of the Dera Ghazi Khan District. Fort Munro, also known as Tuman Leghari, is a hill station, located at a height of 6,470 feet above sea level in Dera Ghazi Khan. It attracts many people for short stays during the hot summer. Gwadar is a port city on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea opposite Oman. Gwadar was an overseas possession of Oman from 1783 to 1958. Taftan, is a town located in Chagai District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of Pakistan’s border crossing with Iran. It is situated over 600 km from Quetta and 9–12 hours' drive. The border crossing point on the Iranian side is at Mirjaveh. CPEC China–Pakistan Economic Corridor is a collection of infrastructure projects that are currently under construction throughout Pakistan. Originally valued at $46 billion, the value of