ISLAMABAD:The government has allocated Rs 600 million for under construction Indus river bridge between Taunsa to Layyah in order to make it operational as 24-kilometer long approach roads and river training works completed. An official of National Highway Authority told reporter, that estimated cost of the project was Rs 9775.600 million whereas by end of previous fiscal year about Rs 5102.849 million had been spent on the project. He said that thrown forward amount of on July 1, 2022 was 4672.751 million. The official said that the bridge linking two important cities of southern Punjab, Layyah and Taunsa had been accomplished but approach roads and river training works were yet to be completed. The bridge is located in between Layyah, east bank of the Indus River, and Taunsa, the west bank of the river in district DG Khan, he said, adding work on the Rs 2690 million project had started in February 2018 as ECNEC had given approval of the project in October 2017. Due to the absence of a proper river-crossing between the two cities, the only two links available are DI Khan-Darya Khan Bridge located 88 km upstream of the project site and Taunsa Barrage located about 52km downstream, said the NHA official. Without bridge linking between Layyah and Taunsa, the residents of both of the cities have been facing immense difficulties as they have to travel 100km by road from Layyah to Taunsa or vice versa. A direct route through the bridge would help reduce the distance between the two cities by up to 50km — from 120km through Taunsa Barrage currently. The NHA official said the flow of traffic from east to west would be facilitated by providing a link between Indus Highway (North-South Corridor) and Pindi Bhattian-Multan Motorway ( M-4). The west bank of the Indus River, near Taunsa, would also be connected with the provincial road network on the east side of the Indus, he added. The official said that the bridge has not been opened for operation because of The Riverine Survey of the approach roads has been carried out alongwith hydrology study. The recommendations were approved in a meeting of Departmental Expert Committee of Irrigation Department in May 2020. He said that tentative date for operationalization of the said bridge after completion of approach roads & guide banks was January 2024.