Traffic guide for PSL3 final in Karachi

As Karachi’s National Stadium is all set to host the final of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 3, let's have a quick view at the security and traffic plan.

As fans prepare to attend Sunday’s match between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, it’s important that you should be aware of the traffic plan for the upcoming event.

The routes leading to and from Hassan Square and New Town will be closed for traffic on March 25.

However, the roads leading to private hospitals on the Stadium Road will remain open. Shahrah-e-Faisal and Shahrah-i-Quaideen will also remain functional throughout.

Traffic coming from Nursery (or airport) will be diverted towards Drigh Road Shahrah-e-Faisal, left (or right) turn Rashid Minhas Road, Millenium to NIPA.

Traffic from Rashid Minhas Road will be diverted from NIPA towards Drigh Road and from Shahrah-e-Faisal towards NIPA.

Once you have decided your route, there will be a roughly four-hour-long, three-tier security clearance procedure before the spectators can enter the stadium.

Ticket holders will park their vehicles at designated car parking areas, where there will be six marshaling areas. At the car park, they will undergo the first physical search and their tickets will be verified by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) staff.

The areas assigned for parking are: Federal Urdu University ground, ground besides Hakeem Saeed Park, Sunday Bazaar ground adjacent to Baitul Mukarram Mosque, Gharib Nawaz Football Ground near Millenium Mall, China Ground (Kashmir Road), KDA Club and KMC Ground.

Spectators must carry their tickets with them to the car parking areas, as they will not be permitted to park without tickets.

From the parking, a shuttle service will pick the spectators and drop them off at the three designated drop zones - one at Expo Centre, one opposite Bahria University and a third opposite Aga Khan Hospital. There will be another physical search at the drop zone.

Spectators will then walk from the drop zone to the stadium gates (a distance of about 200-300 metres). However, senior citizens and differently-abled spectators will be transported from the drop zones to the gates via buses.

Spectators will undergo a third physical search at the stadium gates. They will then be guided to their seats by the PCB staff.

The Shuttle service and stadium gates will open at 12pm to 5pm. Opening ceremony to take place around 6pm and the match is expected to start around 7pm.

After the match ends, the spectators will be transported back to the marshaling area via the shuttle service. Spectators are advised to use the same shuttle service and route they did when they came.

A series of PCB-approved vendors will set-up food stalls within the car parking areas. Spectators can purchase food and drinks from these stalls and then go to the stadium.

Ambulances will also be present at the parking areas in case of any medical emergency. The spectators are allowed to carry cellphones and they have to come with a ticket and CNIC. However, they are not allowed to carry a power, any food or drinks from outside.

A total of 8,500 police personnel will be deployed around the stadium for the match, according to DIG Traffic Imran Yaqoob Minhas. As many as 1,600 traffic police officers will be deployed across the metropolis to assist commuters in avoiding traffic jams and other hurdles.