ISLAMABAD: If all goes as planned, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) will soon award the contract for overhauling and widening of Park Road as the Rawal Dam Interchange has already been completed.

Officials of the engineering wing of the CDA had called bids from government-run organisations only under 42(F) rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority and two companies - National Logistics Cell (NLC) and Railcop - participated in the bidding process.

They said a bid worth around Rs1.9 billion of the NLC was lower than the one of Railcop. The officials said after completing legal formalities, the bid will be presented to the CDA chairman for acceptance or rejection.

The officials said after approval of the bid, the CDA will issue orders to formally start work on the project.

According to CDA, under the project, which is to be completed in six months time, rehabilitation and widening of Park Road from Rawal Chowk to Tramari Chowk will be carried out.

They said that this 7.4km long road has been facing traffic congestion due to the mushroom growth of construction of houses and buildings including educational institutions at its length during the last two decades and so.

Whereas, several old residential areas, such as Lakhwal, Banigala, Rawal Town, Shahzad Town, Tramri and Chatta Bakhtawar are fully depended on this road. The CDA has also setup its housing schemes – Park Enclave I, II and III.

Currently, the road has two lanes that are in dilapidated condition. CDA officials said under the PC-I, one extra lane on each side would be constructed, making it a three-lane artery, and overhaul and repair of the existing lanes would be carried out.

In September this year, the CDA’s Development Working Party (DWP) had approved the PC-I of the said project.

Speaking to Dawn, an officer of CDA said a bid evaluation process is underway and after completing this step, the civic agency will decide the fate of the bid.

He said hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, after approval of the bid, the CDA will issue orders to start the project.

“Once the project is started, it will be completed within six months time, as the NLC, being a bid construction company has the capacity to complete this 7.4km road in stipulated time,” he said.

It is relevant to note here that the government got work on the Rawal Dam interchange, flyover and underpass project, completed on a war footing basis, as previously, a private contractor had disassociated itself from the project, leaving it halfway.

However, the remainder of the 50pc work, was carried out by Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) as Prime Minister Shehbaz Shairf had also inspected the under-construction project.

Now, the interchange project is complete and after overhauling of Park Road, the traffic congestion issue in the said area will be resolved for many years to come.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2022