Rawalpindi: Ring Road construction: RDA gets money for feasibility study

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Official says study will take six months to complete
* 38-km-long road will originate at Rawat junction of Islamabad Expressway and terminate at New Islamabad Airport

By Aamir Yasin

RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has received Rs 19 million for the preparation of the feasibility study of construction of Ring Road (City Boulevard) and economic zones in the vicinity following its approval by the provincial government, it’s learnt.

A private firm is to be awarded a contract for the purpose next week, a RDA official said on Friday.

The official said the feasibility study would take six months to complete. He said the Provincial Development Working Party had already approved the Project Concept-II (PC-II) of the Ring Road construction.

According to him, the 38km long road will originate from Rawat junction of Islamabad Expressway and terminate at New Islamabad Airport. The users of Motorways will also be given an access to the Ring Road.

The official said the firm contracted to build the road would also construct access-controlled carriageway, flyovers and service roads, and provide space for rail, parking and transport facilities.

He said creation of economic zones along the Ring Road would increase industrial growth.

He said the RDA would purchase around 1,084 acres land for the road and another 1,050 acres for economic zones.

According to him, every settler affected by the project will get half a kanal land in economic zones in compensation for four kanals of land.

In 1998, the PML-N government had approved the construction of Ring Road and contracted an Australian firm to do the task. However, work on the project couldn’t begin following the October 18, 1999, military coup.

The Australian firm had designed the four-lane Ring Road but had to pack up seeing the new government’s disinterest in the project.

The RDA official said the design was no more of use due to massive construction on the project site. He also said construction of Ring Road wouldn’t be possible if delayed any further for the same reason.

The official said according to estimates, 143,000 vehicles would take each section of the Ring Road by 2010 and the tally would swell to 256,000 by 2020.

He said the Ring Road construction would ease traffic load, adding 0.2 million vehicles with around 0.8 million commuters on board will use Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road, Airport Road and IJ Principal Road after the project’s completion.

The official said the Ring Road would provide over 1.50 million people with an easy access to Islamabad and New Islamabad Airport.

He said the project would contribute towards minimising environmental degradation, reducing fuel consumption and ending traffic congestion on the city’s roads.

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