ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his first stint had laid the foundation stone of 11th Avenue, in June 2023, but the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has not yet started work on the project.

At the foundation stone laying ceremony, Mr Sharif was briefed that the road construction would be started soon.

The avenue is supposed to start from IJP road and after passing between I-10 and I-11, G-10, G-11, F-10 and F-11 culminate at E-11 interchange.

From E-11 to D-12, a portion of the road is already completed, which is known as Iran Avenue. Meanwhile, perturbed over delay in start of the project, citizens and traders have been raising their voice, urging the CDA to start the work.

After the construction of 9th Avenue decades ago, the CDA could not construct any major road. Work on the construction of 10th Avenue was started in 2022 but after completion of around 50pc work, that project was halted last year.

“Besides starting 11th Avenue on priority basis, CDA should also complete stalled 10th Avenue Project as structure of this incomplete road is decaying,” said an official source.

Sources in CDA said that the 10th Avenue is a federal government funded project but the government is not releasing funds for it.

“Total cost of 10th Avenue project was Rs10.2 billion, but government had released only around Rs4 billion, so without funds we could not move forward that was why the project was halted,” said an engineer of CDA.

He said that as per original plan, this project should have been completed by December 2024.

“But in a surprise move, the federal government in 2025-26 budget did not allocate any fund for this public welfare project.

“We were expecting sufficient allocation this year, but for fiscal year 2026-27, once again no allocation was earmarked,” he said.

When contacted, a senior officer of CDA said that the civic agency is serious about both the projects.

“From our own funding, we will start 11th Avenue project and we will ensure early completion of this project. As far as 10th Avenue project, we are dependent on federal government funding,” he said.

When told that the CDA had launched large numbers of development projects, mainly road related, why it is not taking steps to spend its own funds to complete 10th Avenue, the officer said: “We will explore this option as well, but technically speaking without federal government’s permission we can’t move forward, neither government is releasing funds not surrendering this project,” he said.

It is relevant to note here that from IJP road to H-9, earth work on 10th Avenue has been completed and after asphalt work and linking overpasses and bridges, the CDA could bring at least this portion under utilisation.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2026