ISLAMABAD: Railway Constructions Pakistan Limited (Railcop) is poised to receive a significant contract for the construction of a double barrel underpass near Serena Hotel and widening a portion of the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad.
According to sources, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) called for bids exclusively from government-run construction firms, and Railcop and National Logistic Cell (NLC) participated in the competitive bidding process.
The details suggest that Railcop’s bid, amounting to Rs. 2.1 billion, emerged as the lowest, surpassing NLC’s bid of over three billion rupees.
Consequently, Railcop is set to be awarded the prestigious project.
A progress review meeting at CDA’s headquarters, chaired by CDA Chairman Noorul Amin Mengal, discussed the ongoing projects and focused on the aforementioned project.
The engineering wing of CDA revealed that Railcop secured the lowest bid and will receive work orders after the bid evaluation process.
Furthermore, the project entails the contractor finalizing the underpass’s design before commencing construction.
Additionally, the existing Srinagar Highway from 7th Avenue Interchange to Serena Chowk will be widened with two additional lanes.
The last section of this highway, from the said junction to Murree Road, will also undergo an overhaul.
Besides, the design and construction work for the entire project is expected to be completed within six months.
The current prolonged traffic signal at the junction of Serena Chowk has been causing traffic congestion and inconveniencing motorists, resulting in frequent traffic jams during rush hours.
An engineer from CDA emphasized that upon completion, this project would resolve the issue of traffic jams and make Srinagar Highway a signal-free artery.
In addition, the meeting attendees were informed that the civic agency has recently been awarded the project for widening Jinnah Avenue from F-8 to F-10.
The inauguration of this project is scheduled for today (Wednesday), with the presence of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah expected at the event.
During the review of ongoing projects, it was highlighted that the Bhara Kau bypass is nearing completion, with only a few days’ worth of work remaining.
The meeting also acknowledged the progress on various other projects, including the construction of the road from D-12 to E-11 and the widening of the Islamabad highway.
Source: DAWN
