The Islamabad Expressway project, which has already missed two deadlines, now faces a new deadline as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chief Muhammad Ali Randhawa has urged the department to complete the project by August 14 instead of September 30.
During a site visit, the CDA chairman instructed the contractor to finish the ongoing work by August 14, aiming to make the Expressway a signal-free corridor for its inauguration on that date.
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The original deadline was March 2024 but it was later extended to September 30 this year. Now, the CDA chairman has set a new deadline of August 14. CDA officials stated that the August 14 inauguration is achievable due to significant progress made in recent months. Several bridges within the project are complete, and the railway bridge is 90% finished. However, the Binder Bridge is still under construction.
An official from the CDA stated that they can complete the project as soon as possible, with the extended deadline being September 30. Still, per the chairman’s direction, the project can be opened by August 14. The Expressway is a major road in the federal capital, catering to both light and heavy traffic, especially between Islamabad and Lahore.
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The CDA awarded a Rs. 10.9 billion contract to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for rehabilitating and expanding the seven-kilometer portion of the Expressway from PWD Interchange to G.T. Road in Rawat in September 2022. The road currently has only two lanes on each side, and after the PWD, bottlenecks disrupt traffic daily. Due to the ongoing work, motorists face severe traffic congestion daily and are eager for the project’s completion.
