ISLAMABAD: City managers are aiming to complete the delayed Park Road expansion project by August 14 this year following Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa’s visit to the site on Monday night.

The project was supposed to be completed by December last year, but the deadline was extended till May, which was also missed. Now the CDA chairman has directed the contractor to expedite work on the project and complete it by August 14.

During the last two months, work on the project has been continuing during the night time as well.

During the visit, Mr Randhawa was informed that work on one side of the road (right side facing Tramri) was near completion while work on the other side - from Banigala Chowk to the end point - would be completed within the deadline.

CDA chief directs contractor to expedite work to meet deadline

According to a press release issued by the CDA on Tuesday, Mr Randhawa said further delay would not be tolerated and directed the project director to supervise work round the clock.

“Work was being carried out at record pace during the last two months, therefore, the project was near completion now,” the press release said, adding that the CDA chairman had called for coordination with traffic police to ensure smooth flow of vehicles during construction work.

Some months ago, the CDA management had tried to get the project completed by July 15, but to no avail. The civic body had awarded the contract of the Rs1.9 billion road expansion project to the National Logistics Cell under clause 42(f) of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, which allowed bidding among government agencies only.

Until about two decades ago, the road was used only by residents of some villages and towns such as Lakhwal, Banigala, Rawal Town, Shahzad Town, Tramri and Chatta Bakhtawar. But due to development of housing societies, marquees and educational institutions, it has become one of the busiest roads in the city.

Before the start of work, the 7.4km-long road had two lanes. The CDA is now adding an extra lane on either side and also overhauling the existing lanes to ease traffic flow.

Meanwhile, the CDA management also wants to get the ongoing work on Islamabad Expressway completed by August 14. The civic body had awarded the contract worth Rs10.9 billion to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for the rehabilitation and expansion of the 7km portion of the expressway from PWD Interchange to G.T. Road in Rawat in September 2022. The project was to be completed by March 20, 2024, but it missed the deadline, which was extended for another six months.

Sources in the CDA said work was continuing on the expressway and it was expected that the road carpeting work would be completed by August 14. However, they said the two bridges (Railway Bridge and Bindar Bridge) could take extra time as the structure work of the railway bridge had been completed, approaches were being built while girders were being installed on Bandar Bridge.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024