DUBAI: A United Arab Emirates-funded bridge project in Pakistan's Swat region is expected to open next week, the government said on Saturday here. The Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge is a 330 meter-long edifice and will link a number of area villages and towns together on the Swat river. “The goal is to make the area easier for people to travel from one location to another with ease,” a UAE official told Bikyamasr.com on Sunday morning. The foundation stone for the $12.4 million project to replace the original 40-year-old bridge that had been destroyed in the floods was laid in December 2010. The bridge is part of the UAE's humanitarian efforts in friendly countries, the official said, echoing statements made in the official press. It will reportedly serve 70,000 people in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said the director for the Pakistan Assistance Programme, Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/gOz2j Tags: Bridge, Development, UAE Section: Asia, Latest News, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates
