KARACHI, Jan 6: Work on Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s nine major projects, including the Shahrah-i-Pakistan signal-free corridor-V with four flyovers to be built between Tin Hatti and Sohrab Goth, will begin this month and will be completed within two years at an estimated cost of Rs3.326 billion, it emerged on Friday.

The vital projects to be carried out under the ADP special package for Karachi include construction of a Jinnah terminal flyover, a flyover on Nawab Siddiq Ali Khan Road near A.O. Clinic, Nazimabad, widening of the main Korangi road and causeway (from the KPT flyover to Korangi Crossing), laying of a new storm-water drain along Shahrah-i-Quaideen and up to Junejo Town in the jurisdiction of defunct Jamshed Town.

Unfolding the details of the mega projects, KMC Director-General (Technical Services) Altaf G. Memon told Dawn that the groundbreaking ceremonies of the projects would be held shortly as Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had already discussed and agreed on all these projects.

He said the governor would hold regular meetings to review progress on the projects on a fortnightly basis to ensure quality work and their timely completion.

The DG said that the actual time required for their completion was three years but all-out efforts would be made to complete them within two years.

Highlighting salient features of the signal-free corridor-V, he said it would ease traffic congestion on Shahrah-i-Pakistan and cut travel time and expenses of motorists taking this route to reach Federal B Area, North Nazimabad, North Karachi, New Karachi, KDA Scheme-33 and their adjoining localities and to proceed towards the Superhighway.

He said the signal-free corridor would have four two-lane, two-way flyovers — one each at Tin Hatti, S.M. Taufiq Road’s Daakhana, Aisha Manzil and Water Pump. Except for the flyover to be built at Tin Hatti at an estimated cost of Rs300m, each of the remaining three flyovers would cost Rs500m, he added.

The other four corridors, which were made signal-free by the defunct city government, were Preedy Street, Karsaz, Sharea Faisal (partially) and Rashid Minhas Road.

About the flyover planned near A.O. Clinic, Mr Memon said that this would give easy access to vehicles, especially ambulances, to reach the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. It would also cut travel time of motorists who have to wait for long at the traffic signals near A.O. clinic while proceeding to and from Nazimabad, Paposhnagar, Orangi Town, North Nazimabad, North Karachi and Surjani Town.

About the significance of laying a storm-water drain along Shahrah-i-Quaideen till Junejo Town, he said the project was aimed at preventing accidents caused by the existing open drain, discouraging drug addicts from taking shelter along the open drain and beautifying the area.

The DG said that the Korangi road widening project, whose other components include improvement of the causeway and Korangi Crossing, would be completed at a cost of over Rs149 million. This would ease traffic congestion on the busy road, he added.

Ongoing schemes The DG said that work on 23 schemes was in full swing and they would be completed in time.

The projects included construction of access roads to Bilawal House, Clifton; improvement of Hub River Road (from Paracha Chowk to Northern Bypass, construction / improvement of two bridges across Gujjar Nullah and Orangi at Shahrah-i-Ibne Sina, improvement and rehabilitation of Manghopir Road from Mazar to Surjani Chowrangi hospital, improvement and rehabilitation of road including storm-water drain (from Shahrah-i-Noorjehan to the Ziauddin hospital roundabout, rehabilitation of internal roads of Clifton’s blocks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7, channelling natural nullahs at Orangi, Baldia, SITE, North Nazimabad, Korangi and Gulshan-i-Iqbal, construction of roads falling under the defunct CDGK, construction of an overhead bridge at Thado Nullah between Malir and Gadap, improvement of roads in Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s union councils No 1, 2, 4 and 6, reconstruction of Adam Khan Road, construction of roads in Bin Qasim and Landhi towns, construction of a bridge over railway line in Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s block 10, improvement of rural areas (defunct district councils) of the defunct CDGK.

In reply to a query, he said the pace of progress on the schemes had slowed down temporarily due to uncertainty over the local government system. But he was optimistic about their timely completion.

“In fact work on most of the 23 schemes began in August 2011 and they would be completed as per their scheduled completion date, which is June 30, 2012,” he added.