04-05-2010, 11:36 AM
* Govt violated road safety standards, did not construct acceleration and deceleration lanes, built bridges at a higher level than the road itself
* Former NESPAK president says local residents, private university persuaded govt to construct the bridges
* TEPA deputy director says Zafar Ali Road not long enough to build acceleration and deceleration lanes
By Umair Aziz
LAHORE: The government has seriously flouted urban road-engineering standards in constructing the two bridges on Zafar Ali Road, which are “dangerously unsafe”,
Daily Times has learnt.
The engineering design of the city’s roads is based on the standards of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). However, the government has failed to comply with AASHTO standards by not constructing acceleration and deceleration lanes on Zafar Ali Road. As per the guidelines of AASHTO, the traffic cannot leave or enter the fast lane on Zafar Ali Road without providing acceleration and deceleration lanes, which should be at least 150 meters and 120 meters long respectively, for a design speed of 60 kilometre per hour. Moreover, the bridges have been constructed at a higher level than Zafar Ali Road along the Gymkhana Golf Course. An uneven asphalt layer, which looks like a large hump, has been placed to merge the road with the bridges. The hump can easily result in vehicles in the fast lane losing control while turning right, posing a constant threat to people’s lives. Recently, two teenagers lost their lives and four others were severely injured when the driver lost control of the jeep while making a right turn at the second bridge on Zafar Ali Road.
Talking to Daily Times, former National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) president Karamatullah Chaudhry said, “To start with, there is absolutely no justification for building the two bridges adjacent to the ones already connecting The Mall and Jail Road to Zafar Ali Road. Traffic was being managed quite efficiently even without these two new bridges.”
Allegations: Chaudhry alleged that certain influential local residents and a private university located on Zafar Ali Road convinced the Punjab government to construct these bridges, which are “extremely unsafe from an engineering point of view”. He said what makes the bridges design so dangerous is the fact that a vehicle enters onto the fast lane on Zafar Ali Road after crossing over the bridges. This puts the car directly in the way of vehicles coming from behind at high speeds, which can result in a fatal collision.
Similarly, he said a vehicle leaving Zafar Ali Road and crossing over the bridge has to reduce its speed drastically to make a right turn, and in the process is likely to get hit by a fast vehicle behind it. “In short, as far as road engineering is concerned, the design of the bridges is totally faulty as the chances of fatal accidents occurring at these bridges are very high. I wonder why the highly flawed and unsafe bridges were allowed to be constructed,” Chaudhry added.
Refuted: However, the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency (TEPA) deputy director denied these allegations, saying that the “reach” of a road is considered while providing acceleration and deceleration lanes. “Zafar Ali Road is only a kilometre long... it is presumed that vehicles will not reach the speed of 60 km per hour over such a short stretch of road... we will not be able to build any urban roads if we rigorously follow AASHTO standards,” he said.