Traffic flow at 9th Avenue eases
By Mona Khan

ISLAMABAD—The close cooperation between the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has worked successfully in easing flow of traffic on 9th Avenue.
With the completion of work on widening of 9th Avenue-Kashmir Highway intersection, the engineers and planners of civic body have done a miracle in finding a solution to traffic-mess, which motorists faced soon after opening of 9th Avenue, last month. At that time, it seemed the challenge of traffic jam at this intersection could not be met without construction of an interchange.
But in a matter of three to four weeks, the CDA engineers and planners with the input given ITP management found a solution by widening the crossing and providing turnings on Kashmir Highway. “We burnt the midnight oil in working out a solution to the problem,” CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari. “It is fine example of cooperation between two government departments in providing public comfort,” CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari said while talking to newsmen at CDA committee room where SSP Traffic Police Zubair Hashmi and other ITP officers and personnel were also invited. CDA officials including Member Engineering Mian Moinuddin Kakakhel, Director Works Abdul Jabbar Malano, Director Roads Ali Anwar Gopang, Director Urban Planning Muhammad Sarwar Sindhu, Deputy Director Traffic Engineering Azam Lodhi, Director Public Relations Rawal Khan Maitla and other officials who were engaged with the project were also present.
Lashari acknowledged services of ITP personnel in controlling traffic mess at 9th Avenue-Kashmir Highway intersection in crisis period and then in diverting the traffic during widening of intersection. He announced honorarium for traffic police officials and personnel, which would be given to them following approval by the CDA board. “We all in CDA and traffic police worked like a team in responding to the challenge,” Lashari said.
CDA spent a huge amount on construction of 9th Avenue but faced lot of criticism soon after its opening, the project was termed as failure of civic body when motorists found traffic jam on reaching Kashmir Highway.
But instead of taking of any punitive action officials, CDA management took a wise step in asking the same officials to find a solution, which they did working day and night. “Now the vehicles can cross intersection in one-time opening of signal as the capacity of crossing has been increased by more than double.
SSP Traffic Zubair Hashmi said it was not an easy challenge to control the traffic at this point as 17 roads coming from different sides converge at 9th Avenue-Kashmir Highway intersection. “At that time, we had to resort to manual control of traffic after putting of signals till 10:00 a.m. but now after 8:00 a.m. there is no need of using manual method on Kashmir Highway,” he said.