PM okays shortest link road to New Islamabad Airport

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved the most cost-effective, straight and trouble-free link road through the Kashmir Highway to the new under-construction Islamabad airport on merit, documents show.
This is the shortest, inexpensive and hassle-free access to the new airport as originally planned in accordance with the Islamabad master plan.After briefings from the National Highway Authority (NHA), Civil Aviation Authority and the civic bodies of the twin cities, the prime minister opted to stick to the original plan of linking the airport with the Motorway Zero Point which is not even 4kms in length and would not bring any major burden to the national exchequer. The other options had provided zigzag links that would have cost around Rs40 billion because an entirely new access road had to be constructed to link the new airport with the federal capital in violation of the Islamabad master plan. The News has been highlighting the issue and many stories were carried showing that the cost of the new airport has scandalously escalated to close to Rs100 billion from its original expenditure of Rs30 billion because of bureaucratic incompetence, apart from the time wasted in completing the project, while any zigzag access road would add more burden to the national kitty.
The orders of the prime minister have been communicated to the secretary communications with a copy to secretary planning, development and reforms for construction of the link road to the new airport.
The documents reveal, “The prime minister has seen and observed as follows: On reconsideration, it may not be appropriate to change the alignment of the access road at this stage particularly when it was announced years earlier after consideration of all facts and then prevalent developments in the area.”
The prime minister, according to the documents, has further observed that “the old alignment is still the most cost-effective option available as significant portion of land is available as right of way. Executing agency shall however, ensure that the road remains a limited access road with arrangements similar to that made on the motorway along with a service road to provide people of the adjoining localities travel options to the nearest interchange.”
The prime minister has also observed that one access road was not enough for a facility like New Islamabad Airport, therefore more link roads should also be planned, in due course, because such projects cannot be operated through a single access road.
“Capital Development Authority, National Highway Authority and the government of Punjab may continue to plan the implementation and execution of other road access projects according to the timelines of the development of those areas after making arrangements of necessary funding,” the prime minister’s orders to communications secretary said.
The prime minister has further desired that work on the road as per the old alignment of Shahrah-e-Kashmir up to Motorway link road and then to new Islamabad International Airport shall be started and completed in time for inauguration of the airport, the document adds.
It is worth mentioning here that the approved access road will directly touch the new airport’s parking area while the other zigzag roads’ proposals which have been rejected by the prime minister, were designed in such a manner that a passenger would have to travel precisely two and a half kilometres inside the airport, close to its several key installations, before reaching the parking lot.