ISLAMABAD: City managers have planned to fence both sides of Islamabad Expressway to restrict movement of pedestrians into the busy road to prevent accidents.

Moreover, Service Road (East) along the expressway will also be rehabilitated.

The engineering wing of the CDA has prepared an estimate of Rs500 million for rehabilitation of the eight-km-long service road east, while about Rs50 million would be spent on fencing both sides of the expressway from Faizabad/Sohan to Koral.

“These two projects are very imperative and we have completed the estimation and are hopeful to be in a position to call tenders soon,” said Member Engineering Ayaz Khan.

He said Service Road (East) will be constructed from Sohan/Faizabad to Koral to reduce traffic burden on the expressway.

He said though both projects are separate they would be launched simultaneously as their paper working, before calling tenders, was near completion.

The said the service road, which is currently in a dilapidated condition due to lack of maintenance for many years, is used by thousands of people living in Sohan, Pindoria, Iqbal Town, Khanna and other areas.

In its current shape, it is also risky as it is divided into two parts. Its first portion starts from Sohan and ends near Pindoria stop on the expressway where it suddenly ends because of an elevated and exclusive road linkage from the expressway to a petrol pump. Motorists after reaching this point turn to the wrong side of the busy expressway, a step which has so far caused many accidents.

However, CDA’s engineers said the road will be rehabilitated and widened right form Sohan to Koral, adding an underpass will be constructed to link both parts of the service road near the petrol pump.

They said the service road was part of the PC-I of Islamabad Highway expansion but after completing the expansion of the expressway from Zero Point to Koral a few years ago the civic agency abandoned the project and did not invite bids for the service road.

They said the incumbent management had decided to carry out a complete overhauling and rehabilitation of the service road.

There are three interchanges in the eight km portion of the expressway – at Iqbal Town, Khanan and Koral - so motorists while travelling on the service road will use the interchanges.

The Service Road (West), which falls in Rawalpindi side, is relatively in a better condition. However, engineers working with the CDA said that road also required rehabilitation and would be reconstructed in the next phase.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2020