ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Travel in Islamabad and Rawalpindi will be heavily disrupted after a special traffic management plan was introduced by authorities in connection with the Iranian President’s visit.
Heavy traffic into the capital is expected to be banned, along with several road closures and diversions being enforced. Details are outlined in the traffic advisory below:
Islamabad, Rawalpindi Traffic Plan
- Entry of all kinds of heavy traffic into Islamabad shall be fully prohibited, including traffic being driven on other routes as well.
- The prohibition on heavy traffic entering Islamabad will begin at 12:00 a.m. Time slot and will continue indefinitely, until the traffic directions issued are reviewed or changed.
- Entry to the Red Zone will be closed for all traffic, and only limited entry through Marriott and Margalla Road will be allowed”.
- Multiple major arteries will be subject to closures, including the Srinagar highway: “The Kashmir Highway shall be fully closed from Zero point to Dhokri Chowk.”
- Other roads are being rerouted to ease commuter traffic: Traffic on Islamabad Highway from Koral will be rerouted to Faizabad. Travel on Club Road and Murree Road will also be restricted.
- “Those commuting towards the 9th Avenue from Islamabad, Faisal Avenue zero point would be diverted to avoid traffic on this particular road segment”.
- If there is a diversion of roads from the zero point to Koral Chowk, “commuters travelling through would be diverted from Kashmir Highway to 9th Avenue, and from there to the Stadium road and subsequently Murree Road through the Chandni Chowk to join the Rawal road for onward travelling toward Koral Chowk”.
- Similarly, “If the Club Road is diverted to the Taramri Chowk from Park Road side, then persons going toward Kashmir Highway from this road shall have to take a turn toward the Taramri road (which leads to Lehtrar road) from where they would be forwarded towards the Rawal road leading to the Capital”.
- The same would apply for people going towards Rawalpindi: people traveling from Bharakahu to Rawalpindi would be diverted to Korang Road, Bani Gala, and Lehtrar Road.
“The people commuting to Islamabad and fromRawalpindi should utilize alternatively ways to travel between the two cities as it’s predicted that there would be high traffic density during the movement of visiting delegation, thus the commuters on this road should avoid traveling between 9 am to 3 pm and again in evening between 6 pm to 10 pm (the timings can vary depending on the itinerary of the visiting dignitaries.) - The traffic coming to Islamabad from Rawalpindi Saddar would use Colonel Sher Khan Road, which enters from Faisalabad Road and F.C Road through the Faqir Ipi Road or the 9th Avenue, at the discretion of the travelers/ commuters to enter the capital through it.
- There are also alternate traffic arrangements for heavy transport. Heavy vehicles going from Peshawar towards Lahore will be diverted from Taxila towards the motorway, followed by Chakri Interchange, Chak Beli Road, and Rawat G.T. Road.
- Those coming from Lahore toward Peshawar would be diverted from Rawat towards Chak Beli Road, to Chakri Interchange, then towards the Motorway towards Taxila.
These measures, a traffic police official says, “would not only help the authorities in ensuring the security of the visiting delegates but will also facilitate the smooth flow of traffic.” However, residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi may find getting around considerably more challenging for the next few days due to road closures and diversions on major roads.
