Major road project enters final stage of completion
The National Highway Authority will get a share of Rs188 billion, mainly to complete the road projects of the CPEC. PHOTO: INP/FILE
The ongoing work on the remodelling and expansion of Ammar Shaheed Chowk has entered the final stage of completion.
The major road infrastructure project under the Chaklala Cantonment Board, as the executing agency, is being completed in a short span of nine months with funding of Rs1 billion from the Punjab government.
Work is under way on the carpeting of an underpass and tuff tiles on the sidewalks of all roads which will be opened for traffic in December next month.
Meanwhile, Kachehri Chowk underpass remodelling and expansion project has been sent to Punjab Highway Authority for design approval. Tender for the project will be issued after approval.
The construction cost of the project has been approved by the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP).
It has been decided to get the design prepared by consultant NessPak approved by the Punjab Highway Authority so that in case of any technical defect in the design, the design can be amended in time.
Work on the Kachehri Chowk underpass remodelling expansion project is ongoing while work on the Defence Chowk expansion project will be launched after completion of work on the Kachehri Chowk project.
Kachehri Chowk is the busiest junction of traffic on the GT Road of Rawalpindi city and several other routes including Ammar Shaheed Chowk and the Islamabad Expressway. The project is estimated to cost Rs3840 million.
It should be noted that Kachehri Chowk, which is currently the busiest chowk, has been included in the development plan of the current financial year by the Punjab government.
Kachehri Chowk is located close to other important centres, including district courts and Fatima Jinnah Women’s University. It is currently the busiest square in terms of traffic, with hundreds of thousands of vehicles passing through it daily. Because of increasing traffic pressure, it has been decided to make this most important Chowk signal-free so that the traffic from Jhelum Road, Ammar Shaheed Chowk, City and Cantonment and Adiala Road passed through it without hurdle.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2021.