KARACHI, May 2: The city government has decided to launch the Sharea Faisal Widening Project at an estimated cost of Rs1.35 billion together with the Karachi Elevated Expressway (KEE) project.

Under the SFWP, one more lane will be added to Sharea Faisal, besides relocation of underground utility lines, renovation of service roads, removal of encroachment and beautification of the entire thoroughfare.

Allocated under the head of KEE project in the city government’s draft budget for fiscal 2007-08, the hefty amount of Rs1.35 billion would be utilised over a period of three years.

“The Karachi Elevated Expressway is a well-thought-out project and the widening of Sharea Faisal is directly related to it. M/s IJM Corporation of Malaysia will undertake the $350 million KEE project while the SFWP will be undertaken by the CDGK,” City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal told Dawn on Wednesday.

He said that the SFWP had been in the doldrums for long and the launching of the KEE project provided the city government an opportunity to start work on it simultaneously.

He said that after certification from the Environment Protection Agency, work on the KEE project would begin and within the next few weeks, the city government would start widening Sharea Faisal.

“Several public and private concerns have encroached upon both the service roads along Sharea Faisal,” he pointed out, adding that under the road widening project, all such encroachments would be removed and this would enable the city government to add an extra lane to both the tracks of Sharea Faisal.

Regarding the KEE project, he said the expressway would be constructed at a height above the existing flyovers over Sharea Faisal. However, shifting of underground utility lines would be the main concern while executing the projects. “The IJM will start work on the FTC section of Sharea Faisal towards the airport while the city government would start work on relocating the utility lines and widening the road.”

Mr Kamal said that the expressway and Sharea Faisal would cater 50 to 60 per cent of the city’s traffic. “Commuters coming from Site or Surjani will have a direct access to the Elevated Expressway through the signal-free corridors.”