CDA decides to expand IJP Road to eight lanes

[Salman]

CDA decides to expand IJP Road to eight lanes

ISLAMABAD: With traffic congestion on the rise, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to expand the IJ Principal Road to eight lanes from its present four lanes.
According to statistics, the number of vehicles passing through the 11-kilometre strip of IJP Road from Peshawar Road to Faizabad Flyover has increased from 50,000 vehicles to 70,000 vehicles per day and continues to grow. The expansion of the road will cost Rs4 billion. Member Planning and Design CDA, Syed Mustafeen Kazmi said that layout plan of up-gradation and expansion has been prepared.
He said that some influential transporters have encroached the roadsides and that had been delaying the project in the past through “red-tapism” in connivance with some officers in the civic authority. He further said that a consultant firm has been directed to immediately prepare the design of flyover to link Ninth Avenue to Stadium Road so that the gridlocks on the chowk could be avoided.
Meanwhile, Roads Department of the civic authority has also created a road design and forwarded it to experts of the National Highway Authority (NHA) for finalisation. Both the sides of the IJP Road are encroached by the motor workshops, kiosks and transport stands. The CDA would evacuate the land worth billions of rupees through a grand operation against the encroachers before starting the construction work on the road expansion project.
Action against defaulters: Capital Development Authority (CDA) has disconnected over 40 illegal water connections in operation against defaulters. On the directives of CDA chairman, Syed Tahir Shahbaz, Member Engineering Wing Sanaullah Aman was directed to detach illegal water connections.