Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the Margalla Road extension in Islamabad should be completed within the next few weeks, after he visited the site on Thursday night to review the pace of construction.
Naqvi visited the area near Sangjani, where he inspected work on the Margalla Road extension and the Sangjani Interchange. The extension will connect Iran Avenue to the motorway, giving the capital another direct route to the motorway network.
According to the report, the Sangjani Interchange is expected to make travel easier for residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and for passengers heading to the airport. The minister directed the authorities concerned to speed up the construction work so the project can be finished on the revised timeline.
The project had originally been targeted for completion in April, but work is still under way. Naqvi said he hopes the extension will be ready within the next few weeks, and he pressed officials to accelerate the remaining work.
The Margalla Road extension is one of the main road projects under way in the capital, and its completion is expected to ease traffic pressure on the existing routes used by commuters travelling between Islamabad, the motorway and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
During the visit, Naqvi also reviewed the restoration of the Shakarparian forest, where thousands of trees have been planted around the Margalla Road extension and the adjoining areas. The plantation is part of efforts to restore green cover around the new road.
A Safari Park is also being constructed in Islamabad, and officials say it will attract visitors from across Pakistan as well as international tourists. Foreign tourists visiting the park could spend one or two days there, according to the report.
The park is expected to become a popular destination for families and tourists, and officials believe it will reduce the need for Pakistanis to travel abroad for similar recreational experiences.
The minister’s visit comes as the government pushes to complete the road project quickly, with the interchange seen as an important link for daily commuters and airport traffic.
No new completion date was announced beyond the minister’s hope that the work would be finished within weeks. Officials have been asked to step up construction so the extension can open to traffic as soon as possible.
Once completed, the extension is expected to shorten journey times for people travelling from the capital towards the motorway, and to give Khyber Pakhtunkhwa residents a smoother route into and out of Islamabad.
The plantation drive around the road is continuing alongside the construction work, with thousands of trees already planted in the area around the extension and the Shakarparian forest.
For now, commuters will have to wait for the final phase of construction to finish before the new link opens. The minister’s remarks suggest the wait may not be long, with the project now in its final stages.
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