- ITP suggests series of connected roads on GT Road from Sang Jani or Tarnol to Rawat
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Traffic Police, striving hard to manage smooth flow of traffic in the federal capital, has recommended construction of a ring road on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road from Sang Jani or Tarnol to Rawat “T” Cross, avoiding the capital city area on top priority basis.
It is a fact that heavy vehicles (trucks and tankers) do create problems for other vehicles on the Islamabad Highway. There is rush and traffic jams between Gulberg and Soan Garden and traffic congestion can be lowered through the construction of the ring road on the GT Road.
Officials said that it was bad luck of Islamabad that since its declaration as the capital district, there was no ring road to pass heavy traffic as well as traffic proceeding to Lahore via Gujjar Khan, Jehlum. Due to which all traffic ply through the Expressway to Rawat “T” cross.
The highway has been declared signal corridor from the Faisal Masjid to Koral and vehicles plying in five lanes in high speed up to Koral. After Gulberg, the five lanes shrink to two lanes, causing traffic jams and smooth of flow of traffic. The existing expressway from Koral flyover to onward is in a dilapidated condition and having humps and dumps in both the lanes.
Despite repeated requests, the Capital Development Authority could not provide service road along the expressway from Faizabad to Rawat “T” cross. The CDA has been proposed to construct service road to reduce traffic load/congestion on the expressway.
The officials said that to manage rush at given points, ITP diverted heavy traffic from 7am to 9am in morning and 5pm to 7pm in the evening to facilitate road users. Moreover, service road on both the sides of the expressway as well as the ring road may be constructed to cater inter-provincial transport to facilitate motorists.
They said that the present government accorded priority to issues and challenges of Islamabad and traffic problems were being addressed by the civic agency and the National Highways Authority on a priority basis for facilitating the motorists.
