ISLAMABAD: The newly-constructed I-8/1 interchange is proving to be a nightmare for motorists because of a design flaw, which has created at least three points where traffic coming from different directions converges, posing a serious risk of accidents there.

The interchange, which was part of the widening of Islamabad Highway from Zero Point to Faizabad and worth Rs1.5 billion, is not easy to negotiate for motorists travelling from either Zero Point or Faizabad towards I-8. The exits that bring traffic from both these sides into the sector are aligned in such a way that they create a bottleneck at the point of confluence.

Traffic coming down the service road where the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) is located also joins the road at the same intersection, creating even more confusion among drivers.

Cost-cutting measures, design changes by CDA have led to a traffic mess on the newly-built interchange

“Across the globe, interchanges are built to minimise the traffic mess on roads and ensure a free flow of traffic. We have such interchanges that ensure a free flow of traffic, such as the one in Faizabad. But here, we don’t know what the CDA has done. Driving on the I-8 interchange is highly risky because of these two conflicting loops,” said Nisar Ahmed, a university student.

Another motorist, Syed Khalid, said there was a problem with the alignment of the roundabout. While taking a turn to I-8, there is a very sharp bend which crosses over another road which can potentially result in a fatal accident if the driver misses the cars coming from the other side.

During a Dawn visit to the site, it was observed that motorists hesitated before crossing the confusing intersection, and heated exchanges were also witnessed between drivers who got confused as to the direction they had to go in.

Iqbal Ali, a taxi driver, claimed that due to the confusion at the roundabout towards I/8, he had frequently seen minor accidents.

“I request Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the chairman CDA to personally visit the site. The fault in the design is very obvious which can be seen by anyone,” he said.

The motorists demanded the chairman CDA rectify the fault to avoid any mishap as the roundabout in the current shape was extremely dangerous for driving.

Interestingly, after awarding the contract of the project, the CDA made several changes to the design from Zero Point to Faizabad contrary to the original design and PC-1.

In order to save the cost, the civic agency made several changes to the design of the road. For example, there was a 10-foot wide shoulder on the road - the fifth lane. However, the CDA reduced it to seven feet, which, according to some CDA officials, was a violation of the international standards. Shoulders are used for broken down vehicles or vehicular emergency.

It may be mentioned that in July last year, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the first phase of the Rs21.8 billion project of widening the highway from Zero Point to Rawat to make it a signal-free corridor.

Under the project, the 24-km-long Islamabad Highway from Zero Point to Rawat was to be expanded to five lanes, involving six interchanges at various locations. However, later the CDA changed the scope of the project to reduce the cost.

Speaking to Dawn, CDA Member Engineering Shahid Sohail, who is supervising the project, agreed that there were some conflicts at the I-8 interchange. However, he termed them very minor. “Some people also complained to me about the minor issue of the conflict of two loops on the interchange while moving left towards I-8. We will try to rectify this fault,” he said.

The project director, Shahid Mahmood, added that slow driving was the best solution to avoid accidents on the interchange. “We fixed 40 km speed limits for the loops. I assure you that those following this guideline will not feel any issue. Yes there is a problem but that is for speedy drivers,” he said.

In reply to a question, the project director said after revising the scope of the work, the CDA completed the project from Zero Point to Faizabad by spending Rs1.37 billion against the original contract of Rs1.57 billion.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2016