Rawalpindi: In order to reduce the pressure of traffic on entrance and exit from Rawalpindi to the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road), the design and feasibility study for making Defence Chowk signal-free have been finalised – a news source reported on November 16.
The project worth PKR 2 billion with dual lanes and underpass will allow the traffic to proceed smoothly onto the roads leading from Defence Chowk. The feasibility study was prepared by NESPAK which notes that approximately 138,414 vehicles pass from Defence Chowk each day. The intersection leads to Fauji Foundation Hospital, Al-Shafa Eye Trust, High Court and a number of housing societies due to which it is often jam packed with long lines of traffic.
It is yet to be decided whether the project will be completed under Punjab government’s Annual Development Programme or Public Sector Development Programme. The project is also yet to be approved by Planning & Development Board. Rawalpindi Development Authority which is going to be the executing agency of the project has, however, initiated the initial work on the project.
