DHA, Naval Anchorage to build their own interchanges

Islamabad

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has found partners in development when the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and the Naval Anchorage turned up with offers to construct interchanges at the entry-exit points of these two prestigious housing schemes on the Islamabad Expressway.

The two major housing schemes in the private sector located in Zone-V of the federal capital decided to facilitate their residents on the lines of ‘Gulberg Green’ housing society, which has already constructed an interchange just ahead of the recently opened Karal Chowk interchange while travelling southward.

This positive gesture by the two prestigious housing schemes will help make the ‘Rawat-Faisal Chowk Signal Free Corridor’ an even better thoroughfare. This was disclosed by the Member (Engineering) of the CDA, Asad Mehboob Kiyani, while talking to ‘The News’ Thursday.

“Both the DHA as well as the Naval Anchorage managements approached us (the CDA) to seek permission for the construction of interchanges at their respective entry-exit points, just like the ‘Gulberg Green’ management has done,” The Member (E) told ‘The News’.

“We have agreed in principal and their requests have been approved already. In fact the Naval Anchorage management has already submitted their design and engineering drawings of their project as well. They are likely to start work on this project very soon,” Mr Asad Kiyani said.

“We are expecting the DHA management to submit their designs and engineering drawings soon as well,” he added.

He said that the ‘Bahria Town’ management, the biggest private sector housing scheme, which benefits  most from the existing Islamabad Highway, have also submitted a proposal but that is yet to be looked into and taken up for a decision.

“If these two interchanges, for which permission has already been granted and the third one by Bahria Town, which will be taken up for consideration by the CDA, are constructed by these housing schemes, it will also help improve the traffic flow to a great extent and the inhabitant of these schemes will be the best beneficiaries,” Asad Kiyani said.

But the most nagging problem is the widening of the three bridges, which are part of this ‘Signal Free Corridor’ from Rwat to Faisal Chowk. These are the ones on Korang Nullah, the overhead bridge on Railway track and on Soan River.

At present all these three bridges or of two-lane and because of the painfully slow movement of heavily loaded trucks there are always long traffic jams at these points.

The Member (Engineering) said that this project of widening of these bridges is indeed of concern and the Authority will take up the issue on priority basis.

“We are expecting to launch the widening of these bridges in the next fiscal year. In fact we are expecting to start work on this project by the end of this year when the on-going work on Sohan and Khana interchanges will be completed or would be nearing completion. We are expecting these two interchanges to be completed by October this year,” Asad Kiyani said.

When the CDA Chairman and Mayor of Islamabad, Sheikh Anser Aziz was contacted for his point of view on the issue of widening of the three bridges on this ‘Signal Free Corridor’, he said that he was trying to make the construction of these three bridges as part of the next phase from Karal Chowk to Rawat and not do it separately.

 “The PC-I for this second phase is already approved and funding is being arranged.  I hope the necessary approvals will be sought during the current fiscal year, which will enable us to start physical work at any convenient time,” Sheikh Anser Aziz said.