Murad wants first phase of Malir Expressway to be completed in a month

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the Planning & Development Department to finalize the construction work of the first phase of the Malir Expressway so that he could open it for traffic at the end of next month.

He issued these directives on Friday while chairing a meeting at the CM House on Friday. The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning & Development Nasir Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Energy Secretary Musadiq Khan, Planning & Development Chairman Najam Shah, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Public Private Partnership Unit CEO Asad Zamin.

The Karachi metropolitan, being the biggest city of Pakistan, has the potential to accommodate and attract people from all over the country for jobs, business opportunities and housing facilities, the CM said and added that resultantly the population of the city had increased tremendously.

He said that due to the phenomenal population growth, and increase in vehicular traffic, congestion and traffic jam issues arise on major roads of the city; hence, road users are facing inconvenience and hazards like wastage of time and fuel, environmental pollution (noise and smoke) and accidents.

The CM said that Karachi has two seaports, from where heavy vehicular traffic generates for the supply of oil, and other imported goods to upcountry, thereby adding an extra volume of heavy traffic on city roads up to the Super Highway (Motorway M9) and the National Highway N-5. Considering this traffic situation, the Sindh government decided to provide the shortest alternative route to connect the Motorway/Super Highway with the city centre, and after a thorough study, it was decided that the best option is the construction of a six-lane dualized expressway along the left bank of Malir River, starting from KPT Interchange near Qayyumabad and ending at Motorway (M9) after 50km, at Kathore.

The Malir Expressway starts from Jam Sadiq Bridge and ends at Kathore. It has 100 metres right of way and six lanes with three bridges and one underpass.

The CM was told that the first segment of the Malir Expressway, starting from Jam Sadiq Bridge to Quaidabad, 15km, has achieved completion of 85 per cent of the total work. For Segment Two, from Quaidabad to Kathore (38 km), 35 per cent work has been completed.

The CM directed the planning and development minister to personally visit the under-constructed project site and get the work on the Quaidabad Bridge, Shah Faisal Interchange, and EBM Interchange works completed so that its (the Malir Expressway) first segment could be opened for traffic by the end of next month.

HE was told that slope protection and the apron of the expressway along the Malir River have been properly developed.