‘CDA to finish PWD underpass, Korang nullah bridge on schedule’

Islamabad:The construction work on the PWD underpass on Islamabad Expressway is progressing smoothly and there is high possibility that it will be completed and thrown open for normal traffic flow by the end of June 2021 as is scheduled.

The Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Amir Ali Ahmed, while talking to ‘The News’ said that the Authority is pushing not noly for completion of the project on time but also initiating expansion of entire Islamabad Expressway from Koang nullah bridge up to T-chowk on G T Road.

“While the work on these two segments of the project is already underway and continuing with satisfactory pace, we are also going for the expansion of the existing two-lane part from Korang nullah to G T Road to five-lane Expressway.

“The tenders for the expansion part will be floated before June 2021 by which time the PWD underpass will be already completed and the work on Korang nullah bridge, which is scheduled to be completed by end of 2021, would also have reached almost mid-way,” chairman CDA said.

He said that he has already taken up the matter of railway bridge expansion with the railways authorities and expressed hope that they will extend the required cooperation. “We are aware of the stress and inconvenience people are facing because of this construction of these two projects. So, we have decided to complete the whole project in one go instead of dividing this into segments.

“At present the biggest challenge is balancing and managing the heavy traffic load on this road and that has made it even more important to complete this project as quickly as possible,” the CDA chairman said.

Meanwhile, he added, the CDA has also prepared the project for improving the IJP (Inter Junction Provincial) Road for ease of heavy traffic flow because these two parts of the roads pose the biggest traffic problem at the time.

The Project Director of CDA, Engr. Mumtaz Hussain, when contacted said that work on both segments of the project is progressing smoothly and expressed hope that both projects will be completed as per schedule.

“Work on the PWD underpass is progressing well and we hope to open the two by-passes to divert all traffic moving up and down in the first week of April. Once the traffic is diverted, we will open up the main part and if everything continues going smoothly, we will be able to open this underpass by the end of June,” Engr. Mumtaz Hussain said.

He said that at present there is a little hiccup of moving the utility lines but the concerned departments are extending all the cooperation and there seems to be not much of a problem in this regard. He said that while the work on raising pylons of Korang nullah bridge is progressing satisfactorily, the CDA has already started casting the girders for laying on the bridge.

“The one worrying factor is the shifting the 16 inch gas pipeline of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd. (SNGPL) but I hope they will extend necessary cooperation in this regard as well,” Engr. Mumtaz Hussain said.