Double Road needs underpass to check traffic jams

By Our Correspondent
January 27, 2020

Islamabad : The flow of traffic at main chowk connecting Double Road, 9th Avenue and Pirwadhai Road has increased to a level where there is a dire need to construct an underpass to provide relief to the motorists of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

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This chowk is one of the main traffic hubs as it bears the traffic burden of Grand Trunk Road and twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad due to which the traffic wardens are always seen busy despite having traffic signals that operate round-the-clock. The motorists coming from the areas like Satellite Town, Sadiqabad, Asghar Mall, Banni, Liaquat Bagh and Saddar use this chowk via Double Road to go to Peshawar Morr, Karachi Company and areas leading towards Motorway Chowk.

Similarly, the motorists from Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Dhoke Najju, New Katarian, Pindora, Dinna and Shamsabad also use this chowk either to go towards Faizabad or Peshawar Morr using 9th Avenue. The big problem that is being faced by the motorists around this chowk is the unorganized and haphazard movement of giant trailer trucks due to which long traffic jams has become a common seen at this point of the city. The construction of IJ Principal Road time and again always failed to resolve the issue of traffic. So many argue that instead of spending billions of rupees on repair and reconstruction of IJ Principal Road the relevant authorities should construct an underpass there to resolve this issue once and for all.

Munawar Ahmad, a resident of Satellite Town, said using the chowk connecting Double Road and 9th Avenue in the evening time is not less than a nightmare as the trucks and trailers create such a mess where traffic wardens seem to be doing their work helplessly.

Spokesperson for Capital Development Authority (CDA) Syed Safdar Shah told this correspondent that they are preparing Project Concept (PC-I) for remodelling and construction of IJ Principal Road and special attention would be given to two points including Double Road and Pindora Chungi to ensure smooth flow of traffic during peak hours. “We are very much aware of the problems at the point from where the motorists enter into Islamabad using Double Road. A number of proposals are being discussed but nothing has been finalized yet, so we can hope that remodelling of IJ Principal Road will help resolve the issue of Double Road,” he said.

To a question, he said no proposal has so far been floated to construct underpass at the Double Road, adding “We cannot rule out anything at this moment as the experts are busy in evaluating various options.”

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