Islamabad’s most notorious traffic bottleneck — the Faizabad Interchange — may finally see relief, as officials reviewed three potential redesigns on Tuesday in an effort to ease congestion at one of the capital’s busiest junctions.
The meeting was chaired by Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa, focused on plans that consultants have been refining for months. With traffic from Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and the Murree Expressway converging daily, the interchange has long been a source of frustration for commuters.
Three Proposals on the Table
Officials confirmed that three options are under consideration:
• A flyover linking Captain Karnal Sher Khan Road directly to the Islamabad Expressway for Lahore-bound traffic.
• A hybrid solution, combining both a flyover and an underpass.
• The construction of additional slip roads to divert vehicles more efficiently.
Read more: CDA decides to go for complete designing of entire Faizabad interchange
While all three ideas remain on the table, the flyover option is being seen as the most practical and likely to win approval. Chairman Randhawa directed the engineering team to accelerate design work, urging them to build with “future requirements in mind” rather than offering just a short-term fix.
This push marks a change in strategy. The CDA had earlier approved a Rs. 200 million plan to expand existing loops at Faizabad but shelved it after determining that piecemeal adjustments would not solve the long-term traffic mess. Instead, the authority is now pursuing a complete remodeling of the interchange — a more ambitious but sustainable solution.
Linked Mega Projects
The meeting also reviewed progress on two other major ventures: the Shaheen Chowk underpass and the G.T. Road flyover. Contracts for both projects have already been awarded to a joint venture of Habib Construction Services and ZKB. Tentative ground-breaking has been set for September 5, although officials are considering a one-week delay due to forecasts of heavy rain.
For now, the fate of Faizabad’s redesign highly depends upon the consultants’ final proposal. But for thousands of weary commuters stuck in jams daily, even the hint of a permanent solution brings a measure of hope.