ISLAMABAD - The authorities have sought an increase in pace of the development work of the IJP Road.
Member (Engineering) Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday visited IJP Road of Islamabad along with DG Works, Director Road South, Nespak Consultant and NLC team and took a detailed view of the pace of ongoing development work.
The Member gave directions to the concerned for early commencement of survey, soil investigation and pile road test. In this project two bridges and two flyovers will be constructed on IJP Road to reduce traffic congestion. The flyovers will be constructed on 9th Avenue and IJP Road while two bridges will be constructed at Katarian and Pirwadhai which will keep the traffic system running and citizens will not have to face problems such as traffic jams. According to the CDA officials, the project will be completed in 18 months and will be opened for traffic, while the total cost of this project is Rs4.9 billion while Rs120 million have been allocated for environmental conservation and protection.
Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) has also directed the CDA officials to ensure implementation of proper environmental management plan during IJP Road’s rehabilitation and widening project. Keeping in view the environmental protection, the Agency had also stopped CDA to dump surplus material or waste generated at I-12 sector location during construction work at the project. The total road length is 10.2km that would be rehabilitated and widened after adding two additional lanes on both sides of the already dual carriage way thoroughfare. The project would start from Faizabad and culminate at N-5. Four pedestrian bridges would be established on the IJP Road. Drains would be developed on the route that would help reduce water accumulation during the rainy season. The CDA will plant 8,000 trees along the route and will plant more saplings during the operational phase. The project will be executed by the Frontier Works Organisation of the Ministry of Defence.
According to the master plan of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the CDA was supposed to develop the “I” sector and Rawalpindi a “J” sector. However, the authorities in Rawalpindi could not develop the “J” sector. The major road dividing the “I” and almost abandoned “J” sectors is known as IJP Road. The road connects Islamabad with Rawalpindi and is a major route for heavy transport coming from Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir towards Taxila, Attock and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The road has been in a dilapidated condition as no repair work was done during the last many years.