Underpass to be opened in mid-July

[CMY]

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been preparing to open the Faisal Avenue underpass at Citibank Chowk in the middle of next month.

“The contractor has been directed to complete the underpass by the first week of July but it would be ready in all aspects by the middle of next month,” sources in the CDA told ‘The News’ on Friday.

Sources, however, said that the shifting of water and gas pipelines, which fall in the right of way, was required immediately for carrying out carpeting of road of the 1,050-metre underpass. “Without shifting of these pipelines, the retaining walls of the underpass cannot be lifted,” an official said. The point where water pipelines are located falls just in front of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and people visiting the hospital use these pipelines as a bridge to cross the road. Sources said the underpass project would be delayed if these pipelines were not shifted timely.

CDA Member Engineering Mian Moinuddin Kakakhel, when contacted by ‘The News,’ said that the CDA had made payment to the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and waiting for action on its part, while water pipelines would be shifted in a few days.

The overnight rains have inundated the site of the underpass and situation would get worse if the project was not completed before start of heavy rains.

The mega project of underpass-cum-interchange at the Citibank Chowk was started in the first week of June last year three months behind the schedule because the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) did not allow the contractor to mobilise machinery before the start of summer vacation in educational institutions. “Despite all odds, we made our best efforts to complete the underpass in one year,” a CDA official said.

It has been learnt that the CDA management is also trying to get time from a top personality like PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to inaugurate the project, which would cost nearly Rs850 million.

The CDA will also undertake another big project of expansion and rehabilitation of Kashmir Highway up to five lanes on both sides while work on rehabilitation of Islamabad Highway is in progress.

Islamabad Highway would be converted into an expressway from Zero Point to G T Road. The work on Zero Point Interchange is also likely to start in second or third week of July. The allocations for all these projects would be made in the development budget for the fiscal year 2008-2009. “This time again record allocations would be made for development projects,” a CDA official said.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=119760