Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Second phase of Islamabad Signal-free Corridor Project to began in January.

In the second phase, existing five lanes of 8.5 km road from Faizabad to Koral Chowk would be rehabilitated with the addition of grade-separated facility while service roads on either side would also be restructured.

The Islamabad Highway Signal Free Corridor project consists of six interchanges, including full cloverleaf interchanges each at I-8 intersection, Khanna intersection and Koral Chowk while partial cloverleaf interchanges at Sohan and GT road. In addition to these, six vehicular underpasses and overpasses would also be constructed at different busy locations.

Abolition of signals at I-8 intersection along with the widening of the road from Zero Point to Faizabad have lessen to some extent the traffic woes of hundreds of motorists who otherwise were habitual to face traffic jam at this very junction on regular basis.

Newly carpeted road with two additional lanes and a signal-free ride have not only given mental and physical satisfaction to the motorists but also reduced at least seven to ten minute drive for those travel daily between the twin cities through the highway.

Previously, long queues of vehicles were witnessed at I-8 intersection particularly during rush hours but now the situation has been changed dramatically. Everything is in perfect shape other than the interchange that is underway at a good pace.

An employee of a private firm in Blue Area Yasir Waheed said that a comfortable journey before and after office is a blessing and surely we are heading towards that.

He said once the whole project would complete, hundreds of thousands of people would be benefited.

People are now anxiously waiting for the start of second phase of the project as it will include three more intersections.

Capital Development Authority (CDA) Spokesman Ramzan Sajid said that “The progress of project till now is up to the mark as the first phase is completed well before the stipulated time that is February 2016”.

He said work on second phase of the project would start in January 2016 for which documentation process has almost completed. Meanwhile, wok on the beautification of the highway has also been started as a large number of beautiful trees and flowers have been planted along both sides of the road. Being established with a cost of Rs 21.814 billion, the Islamabad Signal-free Corridor would be executed in three phases.

After the expansion of road from Zero point to Faizabad, there are three more points where traffic mess is being witnessed including Sohan Signal, Khanna Pul and Koral Chowk and once these three points are made signal free a lot of time and energy of motorists will be saved said Atta ur Rehman, a government employee.

He requested the authorities concerned to start work on this phase in parallel with phase two in order to facilitate thousands of motorists and commuters. Thousands of people are living in the newly established housing societies in Zone 5 alongside the highway including PWD housing society, Media town, Bahria Town who travel daily to the central city for one corner or the other. Expansion of this 12.5 km portion of the road is included in the scope of the project and it would be expanded into four lanes on each side with grade-separated facility.