ISLAMABAD: The Planning Commission has recommended the signal free Islamabad Expressway project be funded by the federal government.

In its post Central Departmental Working Party (CDWP) meeting, the commission decided the project will be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) funding.

The project for a signal free, Controlled Access Corridor of the Islamabad Expressway, from Koral Interchange to G.T. Road, worth over Rs10 billion, was hanging in the balance for the last many months as the PTI government refused to fund it in its mini budget.

The government had directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to conduct the project on its own but the civic agency was unable to start the mega project.

PTI govt had refused to fund project for widening road between Koral Interchange, G.T. Road in its mini budget

According to the minutes of the post-CDWP meeting held on Oct 30, which were released a few days ago, the Planning Commission decided to consider the project for PSDP funding.

CDA sources said that if approved by Ecnec, the project will likely be funded via PSDP in the upcoming fiscal year.

Three major decisions were made for the project during the meeting.

CDA has to form a single policy that would be applicable to all housing societies along the Expressway and there will be a policy on coherence in design of interchanges all along the corridor.

CDA is also to revise its original PC-1 as per the actual scope that is already executed and is proposed to be executed from Zero Point Interchange to Koral Interchange, with the exclusion of the section between the Koral Interchange to Rawat, G.T. Road, which has now been taken up under the instant PC-1 to be financed through PSDP.

A summary for Ecnec recommending the instant PC-1 for the approval of Rs10.75 billion from PSDP will be prepared, the minutes of the Planning Commission meeting say.

On the CDA’s request, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had directed the finance ministry to allocate funds in PSDP in the fiscal year 2018-19 and for the ongoing fiscal year, the PML-N government had earmarked over Rs7 billion for the project, which was subsequently rejected by the incumbent government.

If all goes as planned, the highway which has been widened from Zero Point to Koral, will be expanded from Koral to G.T. Road in two packages.

The first package is for expanding the road from Koral Interchange to Naval Anchorage, a five kilometre stretch, while the second package will cover seven kilometres between Naval Anchorage and G.T. Road.

The project was inaugurated by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in July 2015. Under the original PC-I, the highway was to be widened to five lanes from Zero Point to G.T. Road in one go.

However, in 2015, CDA had changed the PC-I and decided to execute the project in phases due to financial constraints.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2018