Iran to Rebuild B1 Bridge Near Karaj After US Missile Attack

On April 2, a US airstrike targeted the B1 bridge near Karaj, a 136-metre cable-stayed structure that forms part of the northern Karaj bypass, resulting in at least eight deaths and 95 injuries. The attack, which also struck nearby transport links, prompted Hooshang Bazvand, managing director of the Construction and Development of Transportation Infrastructures Company, to announce that the bridge will be rebuilt by the same firm that originally built it, bypassing a tender process.

Replacement cables have been ordered from overseas, and engineers are assessing any damage to the bridge piers. Bazvand emphasized that Iran’s transport network remained functional, with alternative routes keeping the Tehran-Khuzestan corridor open for less than three weeks. He also referenced other infrastructure hits, including tunnels in the Zagros range and a railway bridge near Turkmenistan that affected the China-Russia freight corridor. Ongoing railway projects, such as the Rasht-Astara line, are awaiting final approval from Iran’s parliament or security council.