ISLAMABAD: The commuters traveling daily on Islamabad Expressway from Koral to Rawat or vice versa become a nightmare where traffic remains clogged for hours with apparently no practical solution in the sight.

The residents of adjacent housing societies had demanded the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to start construction and winding of Islamabad Expressway's reaming portion from Koral chowk to Rawat.

The mega project of Rs 21 billion aiming to cater the rampant urbanization and mushrooming of the housing societies in the capital’s suburbs, the project of widening, up gradation and expansion of the Islamabad Highway from Zero Point to Rawat has seen facing unusual delays and lags.

Talking to APP, Muhammad Ali, a resident of PWD housing society said he daily visits his office located at Blue area and facing severe traffic jam daily due to narrow bridge near Gulberg green housing society.

The areas which are located along Expressway and facing traffic issues due to delay in this project are Pakistan Town, Korang Town , River Garden, Bahria Town, Media Town, Doctors Town, Police Foundation, Navel Encridge, Jinnah Garden, Soan Gardens  and up to Rawat, he added.

Project Director of CDA, Mumtaz Hussain said 13 kilometer portion from Zero point to Koral Chowk has been completed at a cost of around Rs five billion.

“Work on the second phase from Korang Nullah bridge up to T-Chowk on the G.T. Road, will be started as soon as the Federal Government will release the funds for this project allocated under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), he added.

He said the second phase included widening of the existing two-lane a side road into five-lane a side, widen the existing two-lane bridges and construction of more inter-changes at suggested locations.