KARACHI, July 8: The city government’s soon-to-be-implemented Karachi Strategic Master Plan (KSMP) 2020 calls four proposed ring roads an important initiative that will help reduce traffic congestion on principal arteries and create alternatives near the port and the central business district.
These ring roads will create bypasses on the northern, eastern and western flanks of the city, facilitating freight traffic and defining the boundaries of peripheral growth.
Central ring road (R1)
This 32kilometre loop will potentially have grade separations along its length, subject to grade separation adjustments, says the KSMP 2020.
Using the Lyari expressway alignment, it will extend to Jail Road and the new MA Jinnah Road intersection along Shaheed-i-Millat Road, subsequently following the Shaheed-e-Millat expressway extension to its intersection at Hino Chowk with Korangi Road, and connect with Sunset Boulevard/ Khayaban-i-Rumi.
From there it will connect with the Mai Kolachi bypass, follow MT Khan Road till Jinnah Bridge, run northwards along Mauripur Road and complete its loop at the spot where Mauripur Road meets the Lyari Expressway.
Inner ring road (R2)
Estimated at 32.5kms, the inner ring road will overlap at places with the central ring road, with which it also shares alignment in the south western corner.
It will have separate northern and eastern alignments. On the western side, the inner ring road’s alignment will begin at the Lyari expressway intersection with Mauripur Road. After proceeding up to Gulbai, it will turn eastward along Sher Shah Road, intersect the RCD Highway and Manghopir Road and reach the underpass at Nazimabad roundabout. Subsequently, the inner ring road will turn eastwards to the second underpass in Liaquatabad No. 10, reach Sir Shah Suleman Road and extend southwards to cross the Pir Sibghatullah Shah/Stadium Road interchange.
It will then head south along Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola Road until it reaches its interchange at Sharea Faisal.
Depending upon the progress of other roadworks, the inner ring road will either join the expressway on the right bank of the Malir River or the proposed elevated Sharea Faisal expressway.
Northern ring road (R3)
This 65km-long road is to incorporate the existing Northern Bypass and extend it southward on both sides.
On the western side, the northern ring road will join the RCD Highway to the west of Karachi, while on the eastern side, it will intersect University Road and head south, passing the western side of Malir Cantonment and continuing until it reaches Sharea Faisal, east of the airport.
The northern ring road may extend further south to join the Malir River right bank expressway, thus completing a wide loop around most of the city’s currently urbanised areas.
Outer ring road (R4)
This is a long-term project that lies outside the timespan of the Karachi Strategic Development Plan (KSDP) 2020. Its southern sections are partly in place and will be extended before 2020 but the north-eastern and north-western sections are to be completed later.
According to the KSDP, The outer ring road is, in fact, two extensions, one western and one eastern, of the northern ring road (R3) in the north and the inner ring road (R2) in the south.
The western extension will begin at the southern extent of the RCD Highway and continue west along the coast to Keamari, presumably ending near Hawkes Bay. (After the plan period, a link between the western-most road and the Northern bypass/RCD Highway intersection may be useful).
The eastern portion of the outer ring road will provide further accessibility to eastern parts of town: a coastal highway running through Korangi, Landhi and Bin Qasim; then linking to the existing ‘link road’ up to Education City in the north. But the post-2020 expansion will link the Northern Bypass in Gadap, passing to the northeast, turn south and connect to the Super Highway.
Referring to radial road improvement plans, the KSDP-2020 states that the proposed improvement of radial road centres entails the rehabilitation of network choke-points.
This involves a large sub-group of recommended construction projects such as intersection improvements, grade separation, general road and bridge widening, road upgrading and connecting up missing links.
It adds that many of the expressways will be elevated roads, in order to increase the capacity of existing passages.
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