Call for expediting work on Expressway
Daily commuters made a passionate appeal on Thursday to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his intervention to speed up the ongoing expansion work on Islamabad Expressway Project to provide stress-free travel.
The residents of various housing societies adjacent to Islamabad Expressway face gridlock daily for hours because of the unfinished PWD interchange and expansion of Korangi Bridge. They claim contractors Maqbool Associates and Calson left the project incomplete because of the material's enhanced cost. Travelling on the PWD underpass is miserable even after sunset as the whole area plunges into darkness because of the absence of proper lighting systems. Only polls have been erected without any electricity connection. In June 2020, the project was awarded to a joint venture of Maqbool Associates and Calson. However, the contractor stopped work on the project demanding extra money. The commuters have sought Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's special attention towards the slow pace of work on Korangi bridge expansion and suspension of work on the Rs420 million PWD underpass.
"We expect the prime minister, like with other development projects, would also intervene to speed it up to ensure hassle-free travel for almost 4,20,000 daily travellers who suffer on one of the country's busiest arteries," said Zahoor Ahmed, a daily commuter on Expressway. "The incomplete underpass and heaps of garbage give commuters an ugly look and is also exposing them to health hazards as road beautification was still pending", said Rehan, a frequent commuter who travels from Blue Area to Media Town daily.
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A Capital Development Authority (CDA) official said the civic authority was already working on the expansion of Islamabad Expressway and different portions of this busy road would be completed in different phases.
The official said the contractor had left the work blaming the increase in the price of construction material, particularly steel. ”His buying capacity was badly affected, and he was unable to carry out the project,” said the official. The officer admitted the delay in Korang Bridge expansion and said the contractor had already been served notice to complete the project in stipulated time otherwise pay the due damages.
"We are mulling over various options for expediting the project, the decision on fate of the project would be determined soon. One thing is clear, the authority wants this project completed at the earliest and it can also go for re-tendering, if the need arises," the officer maintained.
Maqbool and Calsons have not yet completed another project Rawal Dam interchange despite being given extended time by the civic body. The ‘Signal Free Corridor’ from Zero Point to Rawat was PML-N's flagship mega-project, the first phase of which was completed from Zero Point to Faizabad in their previous tenure. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government could not provide adequate funds for the project which caused an inordinate delay, a source in the civic body told the media.
A senior CDA official referring to the road from PWD to T-Chowk said the project concept-I of Rs8.5 billion has been prepared in which two bridges would also be constructed at Naval Anchorage and Kak Pul.
CDA was in contact with the federal government to secure funding from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in the upcoming financial year so that work on the project can be launched during the stipulated time frame.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 22nd, 2022.