By Muhammad
Al-Muwailehi
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
DHUBA – The collapse of Wadi Tarim bridge linking Dhuba with Sharma villages following last year’s flash floods is a clear example of corruption and wastage of public money, says people of the governorate. They said the bridge had never undergone maintenance for 20 years.
“The disruption of the bridge’s maintenance work has further worsened the situation of people using the facility,” said Muhammad Al-Adeesani, a resident of Dhuba while urging authorities to take legal action against the contractor for not following required standards.
Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, he said the collapsed bridge could become a site for recurrent road accidents, claiming lives of innocent people if the Transport Ministry did not take quick action to rebuild the bridge as quickly as possible.
“Only 30 percent of the reconstruction work has been completed during the past one year after the partial collapse of the bridge,” Al-Adeesani said. He wondered why the ministry did not check the poor standard of construction work before taking over the project from the contractor.
“We had expected that the contractor would reconstruct the bridge within a record time because it did not face any obstacles,” he said, adding that the narrow detour from the bridge to Sharma village has become a death trap for motorists.
Al-Adeesani believed that disruption of reconstruction work was caused by a lack of official supervision on the part of the Transport Ministry. The contractor, who escaped punishment for the collapse of the bridge, is continuing his negligence, he added.
Abdul Rahman Al-Amrani said the Road Department in Tabuk has failed to bring back life to the vital bridge, adding that the area has witnessed several accidents following the collapse as the contractor did not put barriers to ensure safety of motorists.
Bandar Al-Huwaiti said the bridge collapsed as the contractor did not follow international standards in its construction.
“The contractor should have reconstructed the damaged bridge within no time but more than a year has passed and the work remains incomplete,” he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.
Al-Huwaiti highlighted the significance of the bridge as it is located on a road used by passengers and motorists coming from other Gulf countries to reach Dhuba Port and Dhurra border point in Haqel. “We hope the Road Department in Tabuk would take immediate action to compete the reconstruction of the bridge as quickly as possible,” he added.
