The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is preparing to start the Kashmir Expressway project by the end of February or early March 2009 converting the existing dual carriageway into a five-lane 'expressway' at a cost of Rs2.192 billion. The conversion of the existing Kashmir Highway into an expressway is one of a series of major projects that CDA Chairman Tariq Mahmood Khan briefed Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani on in a recent briefing.
CDA Director-General (Works) Abdul Jabbar Malano, when contacted, told 'Pakistanhousing.pk' that the project was scheduled to be launched in December 2008 or January 2009. However as the tenders floated in October 2008 for this project were cancelled in the wake of a controversy the project got delayed and now it was in the phase of re-tendering.
"The approved PC-1 project cost of the Kashmir Expressway is Rs2.192 billion. We are in the final stages of this re-tendering process. However as the member (engineering) of the CDA has gone out of the country, there is a pause in the process at the moment. As soon as he will be back, by the end of this week, it would be moved expeditiously," the director general (works) told 'The News'.
Sources in the CDA told 'The News' that fresh tenders for the Kashmir Expressway project are expected to be floated by the end of January or in the first week of February 2009.
"Last time these tenders were cancelled following a controversy about the whole procedure broke out in the media. I think it would be a better idea to invite the media to cover the proceedings of 'opening of tenders' for the project this time around. It would give credibility to the procedure," said an official in the CDA on condition of anonymity.
Malano told 'The News' that in the first phase an eleven-kilometre stretch of the Kashmir Expressway would be constructed, linking the G T (Grand Trunk) Road with the 9th Avenue.
"Like Islamabad Expressway, the Kashmir Expressway would also be converted into a five-lane highway. There would be two rigid lanes of concrete for heavy traffic such as long vehicles, trucks and buses while three lanes would be those of asphalt for normal traffic," the DG (works) said.
He said that it would be a two-year project from the date of start of work. According to the earlier schedule, this project was expected to be completed by the end of year 2010. However now it may take a little longer. There would be six bridges on the expressway, he said.
He said that every effort would be made not to disturb the traffic flow on this busy highway during this expansion and construction of the road. "We will start work on the additional three new lanes, including two rigid lanes that are to be added on
both side of the existing highway. Once those would be completed, then the traffic
would be diverted on the newly constructed part and the existing two lanes on each side would be rehabilitated, Malano said.
There is a lot of pressure on the CDA from different circles to launch and complete this project on urgent basis because this would link the new Benazir Bhutto Airport under construction near Fatehjang in the west of the federal capital. The Kashmir Expressway is also the main link of the federal capital with the motorway, something which makes this project all the more important.
In the next phase, the Kashmir Expressway would be extended to touch the Murree Highway in the east of the federal capital. However as to when that part of the project would be launched was not disclosed by the CDA officials.
The quality of work on the project would be another factor that the CDA would be required to pay a lot of attention. The Northern Carriageway of the Kashmir Highway was reconstructed only back in 2005. The project was launched in February 2005 in which the whole northern side of the highway was dug up and reconstructed. However, the quality of work was so bad that only after a couple of months after completion and reopening of this carriageway deep ruts appeared almost all along the reconstructed part.
Since then the CDA has repeatedly scrapped the rutted portions of the Northern Carriageway, which make most part of the road in fact, but this step has hardly proven to be enough to provide any relief to motorists travelling on the Northern Carriageway of the Kashmir Highway.