Signal free corridor still awaits ECNEC nod

Islamabad : The long awaited signal free Islamabad Expressway project to ensure smooth traffic on 27 kilometres long thoroughfare may be materialized within this year as the government is likely to release Rs10.7 billion in the next fiscal year 2019-20.

Talking to this agency, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority (CDA) Ali Nawaz Awan said the project has been placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

Previously, the Planning commission of Pakistan has recommended that the project would be funded by the federal government.

He said that the project would be released in Public Sector Development Programme of the next financial year after getting ECNEC s approval.

He said due to growth of housing societies along the express way, which takes two hours to reach the Grand-Trunk Road (GT) forcing commuters to bear chronic traffic congestion. “Public centric project is the top priority of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf led government,” he added.

Meanwhile, people including school and office goers commuting from Kurang nullah to Rawat and vice versa were facing daily sever traffic jams especially during peak hours for the last couple of years.

Muhammad Aslam who daily commutes from Model Town to Zero Point said it was a nerve-testing job to reach office in time or get back home in urgency and a lot of time was being wasted behind the queues of heavy vehicles.

He said there was no other solution to this mess except construction of a ring road on both sides of the route.

Aslam said all the three lanes are seen most of the time occupied by the heavy trucks.

Zahid Majeed, a working journalist who has to travel daily from Media Town to Islamabad said, You cannot determine your time destination while reaching office or getting back home.

It has become a daily routine. Expressing dismay over the situation, he remarked, it will never be changed.

The official sources from Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) said the traffic jam was inevitable at this route because it had ten lanes up to Gulberg but suddenly it narrowed down to four lanes causing severe traffic mess that creates miserable condition for daily road-users.

He said the signal free corridor from Zero Point to Rawat was required to be completed as early as possible to get rid of this daily suffering.