Multi-billion interchange plagued with problems

Technical and engineering faults of Zero Point Interchange exposed, will hamper its utility.

ISLAMABAD: A series of technical and engineering faults were exposed in the multi-billion Zero Point Interchange (ZPI) project of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Officials said on Tuesday that the construction of Pakistan National Monument had affected the original design of the interchange. “Coupled with other design issues, the project would require further financing and consultancy to make it safer for commuters,” an official said.

ZPI Project Director Mumtaz Hussain added that some of the technical faults in ZPI could not be removed. “The size of a loop passing near the monument has been squeezed, which would force the drivers to reduce speed when approaching it,” he said.

The design of the bridge being makes it difficult to ply on, especially the loop road coming from Faizabad, going towards Peshawar Mor. “It is a traffic hazard when the interchange connects with Kashmir Highway, where an ugly merging lane has been created by placing stones,” he added.

Moreover, some CDA officials were also skeptical of the construction work around the cliff adjacent to National Monument. “Maqbool Associates have no skills to reinforce the cliff next to the monument. Cutting and excavation work on and around the hill has made it vulnerable to sliding downwards,” said an official. “We will have to seek help from some international construction or engineering consultancy firm to strengthen the naked hill,” he added.

Meanwhile, Abdul Jabbar Malano, Member Engineering CDA, said, “We had to make many changes in the original plan of the ZPI due to the construction of the National Monument at Shakarparian.”

He added that CDA was not going ahead with the construction of the monument, until former president Pervez Musharraf ordered to do so. Further changes in the design had to be made due to the closure of Khayab-e-Suharwardy, which was done by an intelligence agency.

“If some faults have occurred in the execution due to the monument, then it is not CDA’s fault,” he said.

However, Project Director of Pakistan National Monument Brigadier Maqbool rejected these claims as ‘baseless’. “Why were not these concerns voiced when the monument was being planned,” he asked. Maqbool said that the monument was constructed on a rough piece of land which was useless for CDA, at that time. “Construction work on the ZPI started after the completion of the monument. Therefore, everything was planned accordingly,” he added.

The work on the ZPI project was formally launched in September 2009 after a series design changes.

CDA Chairman Imtiaz Inayat Elahi during his recent visit to the site of the under construction interchange claimed timely completion of the project would help ensure smooth flow of traffic in and around ZPI.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2010.