Succumbing to pressure: Capital’s ‘ring road’ project put on hold, for now
Margalla Highway aims to facilitate commuters heading to Murree without burdening major arteries.
Margalla Highway aims to facilitate commuters heading to Murree without burdening major arteries. PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE
ISLAMABAD:
After concerns shown by security agencies, the capital’s civic agency has apparently, for the time being, postponed the construction of a significant portion of the proposed Margalla Highway behind the E-series sectors, it has been learnt.
The proposed 32-kilometer-long road is supposed to link motorway with the Murree Expressway at Kot Hathiyal village ahead of Bhara Kahu. The road will pass through the north-east edge of the city behind C, E, and F sectors at the foothills of Margallas. It aims to facilitate commuters heading to Murree without burdening the main arteries passing through the city.
Work on the 8.5-kilomters patch of the road, stretching between the GT Road near Sangjani to Sector D-12 is already under way.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Friday invited firms to participate in prequalification process aiming to contract out the construction of another 9-kilometer-long patch stretching from the Constitution Avenue to Kot Hathiyal, some two kilometers from the Murree Expressway.
The fate of the remaining 14.5-kilometer road’s portion, which according to city’s Master Plan passes behind the sectors E-7, E-8, E-9, E-10 and E-11, hangs in balance.
It’s worth remembering that the Navel Headquarters are located at Sector E-8, Pakistan Air Force Headquarters at Sector E-9 while Sector E-10 is reserved for General Headquarters. Besides, several other sensitive installations are located in these sectors.
The facilities including armed forces-run Margalla Greens Golf Club located behind Sector E-8 and some illegal constructions by the National Defence University behind Sector E-9 will also be impacted if the CDA carves out this highway as per provisions of Islamabad’s Master Plan, a reliable source in the CDA’s planning wing privy to the developments said wishing not to be named.
The project, if executed properly, would also affect some illegal constructions by the International Islamic University campus adjacent to the Faisal Mosque, the official said.
“Following the meetings with representatives of the armed forces,” the official informed, it was decided to put off the central portion of the Highway for the time being.
At the same time, a senior official of the Engineering Wing claimed the option of utilising existing Khayaban-i-Iqbal, commonly known as the Margalla Road, is also under consideration “but it’s against the master plan,” he claimed.
In case the authority fails to follow the master plan for construction of the highway, he said, the first and third portions will be connected through the existing Khayaban-i-Iqbal, which passes in front of E-series sectors. However, he said the existing Khayaban-i-Iqbal is a four-lane road and could not bear the load of excessive traffic.
He said this proposal, which according to him is not workable, is currently under consideration at the CDA.
The CDA member planning and design was not available for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2014.
After concerns shown by security agencies, the capital’s civic agency has apparently, for the time being, postponed the construction of a significant portion of the proposed Margalla Highway behind the E-series sectors, it has been learnt.
The proposed 32-kilometer-long road is supposed to link motorway with the Murree Expressway at Kot Hathiyal village ahead of Bhara Kahu. The road will pass through the north-east edge of the city behind C, E, and F sectors at the foothills of Margallas. It aims to facilitate commuters heading to Murree without burdening the main arteries passing through the city.
Work on the 8.5-kilomters patch of the road, stretching between the GT Road near Sangjani to Sector D-12 is already under way.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Friday invited firms to participate in prequalification process aiming to contract out the construction of another 9-kilometer-long patch stretching from the Constitution Avenue to Kot Hathiyal, some two kilometers from the Murree Expressway.
The fate of the remaining 14.5-kilometer road’s portion, which according to city’s Master Plan passes behind the sectors E-7, E-8, E-9, E-10 and E-11, hangs in balance.
It’s worth remembering that the Navel Headquarters are located at Sector E-8, Pakistan Air Force Headquarters at Sector E-9 while Sector E-10 is reserved for General Headquarters. Besides, several other sensitive installations are located in these sectors.
The facilities including armed forces-run Margalla Greens Golf Club located behind Sector E-8 and some illegal constructions by the National Defence University behind Sector E-9 will also be impacted if the CDA carves out this highway as per provisions of Islamabad’s Master Plan, a reliable source in the CDA’s planning wing privy to the developments said wishing not to be named.
The project, if executed properly, would also affect some illegal constructions by the International Islamic University campus adjacent to the Faisal Mosque, the official said.
“Following the meetings with representatives of the armed forces,” the official informed, it was decided to put off the central portion of the Highway for the time being.
At the same time, a senior official of the Engineering Wing claimed the option of utilising existing Khayaban-i-Iqbal, commonly known as the Margalla Road, is also under consideration “but it’s against the master plan,” he claimed.
In case the authority fails to follow the master plan for construction of the highway, he said, the first and third portions will be connected through the existing Khayaban-i-Iqbal, which passes in front of E-series sectors. However, he said the existing Khayaban-i-Iqbal is a four-lane road and could not bear the load of excessive traffic.
He said this proposal, which according to him is not workable, is currently under consideration at the CDA.
The CDA member planning and design was not available for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2014.