After months of criticism over broken roads, traffic congestion and daily inconvenience for commuters, Sindh Government has announced that Karachi’s deteriorating University Road will be reconstructed within 90 days.
Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah, while apologising to Karachi residents, said that the road will be rebuilt as a separate provincial project and not as part of the under-construction Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line.
University Road has remained under constant criticism from commuters and residents due to damaged road conditions, traffic bottlenecks and delays linked to the BRT Red Line project, which is being developed with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The announcement came days after the chief minister himself admitted he was “embarrassed” by the inconvenience caused to the public because of delays in completing the Red Line project.
Speaking to a private media outlet, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said that the chief minister took the decision after repeated public complaints and growing hardship faced by daily commuters.
He said that the reconstruction of University Road would be carried out independently by the Sindh government using its own funds and should not be seen as part of the BRT Red Line project.
“And it should be made clear that this is not a BRT Red Line-linked initiative, as the Sindh government has decided to undertake it independently using its own funds, solely to provide relief to the public,” he said.
“The plan is to reconstruct University Road, which is used for regular traffic, from Safoora Chowrangi to Numaish, so that while work on the BRT Red Line continues, commuters do not face hardship and the road remains usable,” Wahab said.
He added that the project would include road construction as well as the installation of a proper drainage system to improve traffic flow and prevent further damage.
