ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Monday opened financial bids to award a contract to build an underpass on Faisal Avenue that would connect G-7 and G-8.

The Rs395 million project received a bid 2pc below the estimated cost.

A statement issued by the authority said: “Technical evaluation and recommendations of technical committee financial bids of four pre-qualified firms were opened on Monday. The lowest bid was received from M/s Habib Construction Services which is 2pc below the estimated cost Rs.395 millions of the project.”

CDA spokesperson Syed Safdar Ali said an underpass on Faisal Avenue would not only help ensure traffic flows smoothly, but also resolve a longstanding issue of the city.

“The underpass will improve traffic flow on Faisal Avenue by linking the east and west parts of the city,” he said, adding that the contract will be awarded to the company that submitted a lowest bid in the next few days, after procedural requirements have been completed.

The construction of two underpasses on Faisal Avenue, one connecting G-7 and G-8 and the other connecting F-7 and F-8, was approved by the CDA in 2014. The project faced delays, but the authority will now be starting construction on one of the two underpasses.

According to the capital’s master plan, the CDA was supposed to construct principal roads to divide all the residential sectors, as well as underpasses to connect the sectors.

So far, the authority has constructed underpasses on 7th Avenue that connect G-6 with G-7 and F-6 with F-7.

Faisal Avenue has faced traffic congestion at its two U-turns, one near Zero Point and the other near the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, which the underpass is aimed at reducing.

CDA officials said that construction on the underpass would be one of the first mega development projects in the urban areas in almost 10 years.

They said that several development projects were carried out in the urban areas under CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari.

More recently, officials said, the only large project the capital has seen was the widening of the Islamabad Expressway with three interchanges. Ataturk Avenue is also being expanded.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2019