154 replies to this topic

[waseem]

Designed by: ECIL
Status: Completed
CLient: NHA + CDA
Contractors: Maqbool Associates
Infrastructure Type: Flyover/Interchange
Construction Date: 2009
Completion/Inauguration Date: 6th JUL 2011
Location: Intersection of Islamabad Highway-Kashmir Highway-Suharwardy Avenue-Shah Faisal Avenue, G-7/1, Zero Point Interchange, Islamabad

Render & Description:



Courtesy: Khurram for Search work!

Edited by Tekno Arkitect, 20 April 2012 - 06:11 PM.
Info Updated

[Tekno Arkitect]

Zero Point interchange design approved

ISLAMABAD (April 30 2007): The construction work on much-awaited Zero Point Interchange costing Rs 1.1 billion will start in June, a senior Capital Development Authority (CDA) official told APP here on Sunday.

"The concept plan of the two-phase project to be completed in two years has formally been approved by CDA Working Development Party (CDAWDP), while a presentation on it will be given to Chairman Planning Commission Dr Akram Sheikh within a week," he said. The CDAWDP after having thorough discussion on design of the interchange, prepared by M/S Ecil, approved it during a meeting held at CDA headquarters on Thursday, the official said.

The new design of the interchange in shape of cloverleaves includes four loops and four ramps (an inclined surface or roadway that moves traffic from one level to another) with a length of 10 kilometers, he said.

The interchange will be free of any traffic signal, allowing smooth flow of traffic coming from four directions. The consultants would be responsible to carry out other modalities of the project including contingency charges besides monitoring the project till its completion, the official said.

Out of initial estimated cost of the project ie Rs 1.1 billion, the authority has requested the federal government to also provide funds from Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to undertake the construction work. According to a survey, about 25,000 vehicles cross Zero Point per hour from four directions, during peak times and the traffic load is increasing with every passing day.

hmmm.....they havent mentioned in the news that the cloverleaf design is gonna affect the National monument located in close vicinty. Lets wait till we get a render of the flyover!

[Jilawatan]

Zero Point Interchange design approved
ISLAMABAD (APP) - The construction work on much-awaited Zero Point Interchange costing Rs 1.1 billion will start in June, a senior Capital Development Authority (CDA) official told APP here Sunday.
“The concept plan of the two-phase project to be completed in two years has formally been approved by CDA Working Development Party (CDAWDP), while a presentation on it will be given to Chairman Planning Commission Dr. Akram Sheikh within a week,” he said.
CDAWDP after having thorough discussion on design of the interchange, prepared by M/S ECIL, approved it during a meeting held at CDA headquarters on Thursday, the official said.
The new design of the interchange in shape of clover-leaves includes four loops and four ramps (an inclined surface or roadway that moves traffic from one level to another) with a length of 10 kilometers, he said.
The interchange will be free of any traffic signal, allowing smooth flow of traffic coming from four directions.
The consultants would be responsible to carry out other modalities of the project including contingency charges besides monitoring the project till its completion, the official said.
Out of initial estimated cost of the project i.e Rs 1.1 billion, the Authority has requested the federal government to also provide funds from Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to undertake the construction work.

According to a survey, about 25,000 vehicles cross Zero Point per hour from four directions, during peak times and the traffic load is increasing with every passing day.

APP 30th APR.


A view of the traffic jam in dec 2005(daily times)

[Tekno Arkitect]

Karachi mishap unsettles Zero Point project

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 26: Islamabad’s Zero Point Interchange project has been unsettled by the shock waves sent by the disastrous bridge collapse in Karachi on September 1.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is reluctant to go ahead with the project unless a third party rechecks the approved design of the interchange as it was prepared by the same consulting firm - the Engineering Consultant International Limited (ECIL) which had designed the ill-fated Sher Shah Bridge of Karachi.

As the government had blacklisted the ECIL after its work in Karachi caved in, CDA sources said the National Highway Authority (NHA) has been approached to reexamine and clear its design of the Islamabad project.

Incidentally, it was NHA that had ECIL as consultant for designing and supervising the Northern Bypass (Sher Shah Bridge) project in Karachi.

Though the CDA cancelled its Rs2.8 million contract with ECIL for designing and supervising the Zero Point Interchange project after the Karachi collapse, it did not wish to rubbish the ECIL design.

“If we do that the whole exercise of getting it re-designed from another firm will take at least six months,” a senior CDA official said. He said a consultant engineer of the NHA, Col (retired) Iqbal Haq, was likely to offer his services to the CDA to re- examine the prepared design of the interchange.

The construction work on the much-awaited Zero Point Interchange, costing Rs1.1 billion, was to be started in August as its concept plan was approved by the Capital Development Authority’s Working Development Party (CDAWDP) in June this year.

According to the designed prepared by ECIL, clover leaveshaped interchange would have four loops and four ramps (an inclined surface or roadway on which traffic moves from one level to another).

The consultant was also responsible for carrying out other modalities of the project including contingency charges besides monitoring the project till its completion, the sources said.

According to a survey, about 25,000 vehicles cross Zero Point per hour from four directions during peak time and the traffic load is increasing with every passing day.

The construction of Zero Point flyover was one of the longawaited project in the capital and due to increasing traffic load on Islamabad Highway, its construction had become imperative.

Traffic congestion at Zero Point square created problems for the commuters especially during peak hours and it cannot be resolved unless the longawaited interchange is constructed.

The sources said according to the original plan of the interchange made two years ago, the CDA had to cut the cliff located besides Zero Point bridge for the construction of the interchange, but now it could not do so due to construction of the national monument established on the cliff.

The national monument project has been commissioned on the directives of President Gen Pervez Musharraf and it costs Rs660 million.

Earlier, a Karachi-based firm, AAA, was hired for the same job but the CDA stopped acquiring its services and cancelled the agreement on different grounds.

[Tekno Arkitect]

Work on Zero Point Interchange to start in a month


Friday, September 28, 2007 E-Mail this article to a friend Printer Friendly Version

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Work on Zero Point Interchange to start in a month

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Kamran Lashari has directed authorities concerned to start construction work on Zero Point Interchange within one month and tenders have been sought for the project.

Lashari directed this while presiding over a high level meeting here at the CDA Headquarters.

The meeting was informed that the design of the interchange had been finalised but National Highway Authority (NHA) Engineering Council consultant had been asked to review the design as the same firm had designed the Shershah Bridge that collapsed in Karachi. The reviewed designs will be received by September 30, the meeting was informed.

It is important to mention that the said project is the biggest project of the CDA costing Rs 2.2 billion in which eleven bridges will be constructed and will be completed in one and half year.

The meeting also discussed alternate routes after the start of construction work of the interchange and it was decided that the Garden Avenue would be interconnected to the 7th Avenue immediately. An intersection will be constructed on the Kashmir Highway while another will be constructed on Khayaban-e-Sharwardey. After the construction of the intersection, the 7th Avenue will be interconnected to the Kashmir Highway.

[Tekno Arkitect]

Zero Point Interchange Tender filing date set without final design

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: City managers have set October 9 as the date for filing tenders for the Zero Point Interchange (ZPI) project without having in hand its final design and feasibility study, sources told Dawn on Friday.

The sources said some 36 firms had submitted their expression of interest to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) which would shortlist them in two days. After this process, the tenders would be filed on October 9.

They said CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari had recently rejected the design of the interchange prepared by a firm which was blacklisted after Sher Shah Bridge in Karachi, which it had constructed, caved in earlier this month.

They said the collapse of Sher Shah Bridge in Karachi had created some doubts among the city managers as it was designed and monitored by Engineering Consultant International Limited (ECIL), the same consultant firm which had prepared the design of Zero Point Interchange.

Now the city developers are seeking assistance of the National Highway Authority (NHA) to re-examine and clear the design of the proposed interchange at Zero Point.

The sources said the city developers had withdrawn a recently signed Rs2.8 million contract with the consultant firm ECIL, but they could not reject its design at this stage.

“If we reject it, the whole exercise to get the project redesigned from another firm will take at least another six months,” a senior official of the CDA said.

They said the tender process should not have been started until the final design of the interchange had been obtained.

“It may be possible that the NHA engineers would make some changes to the design of the interchange, in particular the material to be used, but the bids are being offered according to the plan finalised by the former consultant (ECIL),” a CDA official said.

He, however, said the firm which would win the contract could refuse to execute/implement the new plan under the rates and terms and conditions it had accepted.

Construction work on the much-awaited Rs1.1 billion Zero Point Interchange was to be started in August as its concept plan had been approved by the Capital Development Authority’s Development Working Party in June this year.

According to the designed prepared by ECIL, clover leafshaped interchange would have four loops and four ramps (an inclined surface or roadway that moves traffic from one level to another).

The construction of Zero Point Flyover was one of the longawaited projects in the capital and due to increasing traffic load on Islamabad Highway, its construction had become imperative.

Traffic congestion at Zero Point square created problems for the commuters especially during the peak hours and it could not be resolved unless the long-awaited interchange was constructed.

[Tekno Arkitect]

Exisiting View of the Zero Point Intersection & Bridge.

[Khuree]

Traffic safety in a loop at Zero Point

ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: A cliff and a name stand between building a safe or unsafe interchange at Zero Point, Dawn has learnt.
Experts say the cliff needs to be cut deep to provide a safe loop for the Zero Point Interchange (ZPI), but the city managers do not want to risk annoying the big name behind the National Monument standing on the cliff by doing that.

“If now the cliff is cut or the monument is affected, the city managers fear to face the music,” sources claimed.

Instead the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has hired a consultant to reexamine the design of ZPI prepared by the firm Engineering Consultant International (ECIL) before President Pervez Musharraf commissioned the monument, sources said.

ECIL’s design of clover leavesshaped interchange provided four loops and four ramps to move traffic smoothly from one level to another at the busy crossroad.

After the Rs700 million National Monument was erected on the cliff, CDA asked ECIL to change the design to keep ZPI clear of the cliff. As a result the loop on that side became smaller than on the other three sides of the crossroad.

“Yes, it is a big fault in the (new) design as speed will have to be limited to 30kmh or 40kmh for vehicles approaching the small loop,” a consultant engineer told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

That, he said, would increase the possibility of accidents as vehicles coming at high speed from the Islamabad Highway will have to take a sharp turn on entering the small loop.

CDA chairman Kamran Lashari wanted to scuttle the ZPI project after ECIL-designed Shershah Bridge in Karachi collapsed last month. However, the CDA Board saved the day for ECIL by ordering that its ZPI design be re-examined by a consultant to the National Highway Authority (NHA).

Col (retired) Iqbal Haq, the NHA consultant, when contacted, said he had not yet signed a formal contract with the CDA but had gone through the ECIL’s documents regarding ZPI. He detected some faults in the design but said he would deal with “the structural design” of the interchange only.

Zero Point is becoming a choking point for motorists and a flyover would ease the growing traffic congestion there.

An impressive complex, the National Monument was proposed to be raised as a war memorial first in 1966 and then in 1969. It was completed last year by the CDA and the ministry of sports and culture at West View Point, Shakarparian, on the express desire of President Musharraf. The land for the monument was given to the ministry allegedly in violation of Land Regulation Policy of the CDA.

[waseem]

All set for Zero Point Interchange

ISLAMABAD (APP)- The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Kamran Lashari said Saturday the Authority is all set to start the construction work on Zero Point Interchange by January 15.
Talking to media men after the inauguration ceremony of the dualization of Ibn-e-Sina Road on Saturday, he said the consultant has completed the draft of the design with minor changes and added that the safety measures have not been compromised.
He dismissed the notion that the finalization of the design was being delayed because the Pakistan Monument would restrict one of the interchange’s loops. He said there was enough space for it. Lashari said that the process for inviting tenders is underway and the interested parties will be invited shortly to execute the multimillion project. He said the main feature of the project is that there would be no traffic signal and it would have four-lane roads, he said.
Lashari said the construction work of underpass at China Chowk will be completed by late December. He said the work of 9th, 6th, and 4th avenues is underway while the work on 10th Avenue will be started within a month. He said the CDA hired the services of M/s Haji Sirajuddin Soomro, which started the work on the dualization of 5.80 kilometre long road stretched between sectors G-9 and G-11, in October 2005 and completed it in March 2007. The PC-1 cost of the project was
Rs 250.657 million, which includes three bridges and six culverts as well. He said besides the major roads, the Authority is also executing the construction work on small roads also in different residential sectors.
CDA Chairman said in order to avert environmental hazards, the Authority has preferred cable car service to the chairlift. He said the leading world companies have been invited to execute the project, which will give presentation to the CDA on the project. He said the ministerial committee has approved almost 98 per cent of the revised draft of the revised Master Plan of federal capital, but after the dissolution of the assemblies, the matter had been prolonged. The CDA board members and other officials attended the ceremony.

[Abid Siddiqui]

Finally some good news

[Tekno Arkitect]

Khuree yar that Image of the Flyover design has disappeared.....could u get hold of it again plzzzz!! :s

[Zain Abbass]

CDA to get Zero Point Interchange design in a week
* Work to begin on March 23
* CDA official gives no timeframe for project’s completion
* Says it will take environmental issues into account before undertaking work

By Imran Naeem Ahmad

ISLAMABAD: The final design of the much-awaited Zero Point Interchange, duly vetted by a consultant of the National Highway Authority (NHA) is to be submitted with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) next week, according to officials.

The design was discussed on Saturday in detail with Col ® Iqbal Haq, a NHA expert hired by CDA, at a meeting held recently, which was also attended by Member Planning and Design, Brig Nusrat Ullah.

“The observations of the consultant were addressed and it was agreed that the final version would be presented on January 30,” said CDA Director General Works Abdul Jabbar Melano. He, however, pointed out that CDA’s planning and design wing was dealing with the matter at the moment.

Work due in March: The design phase has already taken up months although officials insist that work on the interchange would begin sometimes in late March. In October, the CDA bracketed the project among 15 that are to be executed on a priority basis.

As the CDA continues to consider the design, long queues of vehicles often seen stuck at Zero Point have begun to look ominous. It is a sight the motorists and the traffic police abhor, snarls that often stretch up to the I-8 Intersection, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Once a sleepy point with only a few vehicles seen waiting at a red signal to cross through has now become a trouble spot of monstrous proportions and the continuing delay with the project design has generally angered people.

Melano said that once the design of the interchange was submitted after being cleared by Haq, the tendering process would be initiated. “The CDA is required to give 15-day time period to the bidders,” he said.

No completion timeframe: The CDA has pre-qualified firms for the project and is targeting March 23, being an auspicious occasion, as the tentative date for kicking off the project. However, the official was reluctant to commit on the completion timeframe of the interchange once work got under way. “It will be a realistic target,” he said.

Last year, several of the road projects fell behind schedule for a host of reasons promoting the CDA to serve notices on contractors and impose penalties.

‘Environmental issues to be addressed’: The official said that all environmental aspects would be addressed before work on the interchange began. “We will fulfil all environmental obligations.” Melano said.

He said currently the environment in the vicinity of Zero Point was highly polluted. “There is high concentration of carbon and other toxic particles in the environment due to longer waiting time of vehicles.”

According to a traffic count, about 150,000 vehicles converge on the intersection in a single day with peak flow of 8500 vehicles per hour. “Because of this, smoke is being continuously pumped into the air which is injurious to human health,” he explained.

In this light, he stressed that construction of the interchange would not only ease flow of the traffic it would also help improve the environment in the area. “There would be no waiting of vehicles which would mean lesser smoke emission at this point,” he said.

He boasted that once complete, the interchange would be a landmark that would make Islamabad all the more beautiful.

[Tekno Arkitect]

Ban on tenders halts Zero Point Interchange plan

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Islamabad—The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is all set to initiate construction work on Zero Point Interchange early next month that only awaits government’s nod on announcement of tenders above Rs 50 million by the Authority.

The multi-million project has been lingering since 90s due to its intricate designing, high cost and above all, alternate solution to mammoth traffic on the main intersection and also a gateway to the hilly areas like Murree.

Senior CDA official said Sunday that the Authority has completed the homework on the project including its designing and alternate routes have also been designed to be opened during the construction of the signal-free intersection. However, he said that another bottleneck has come across after the government has imposed ban on announcing of tenders above the value of Rs50 million.

He said the Authority would finalize the shortlisting of one of five interested companies by end of May, which have already submitted their proposals and the Authority would announce the tenders for the award of contract for the execution of the project.

Among five interested firms are M/s Sachal, M/s Habib Rafiq, M/s Usmani, M/s Maqbool Associates and M/s Associated Constructors.

“The project would incur Rs2, 273 million and it would take another two years to complete,” he said.

He said the Authority has also received the final design of the project vetted by Col. (Retd) Iqbal Haq, a National Highway Authority (NHA) consultant.

He said the design of the interchange would resemble ‘clover leaf’ which would include loops, slip roads, pre-stressed girder bridges, piling, underpasses, reinforced earth walls and pedestrian bridges.

The official said in the first phase, the Authority would construct four slip roads to bypass the traffic from project site to the main highways. The official rejected the notion that any of the loops has been dropped as National Monument was impeding the project.

“No doubt, the monument is restricting us but we have managed it without affecting the monument,” he said adding that a tunnel would be constructed along with the monument.

He said the project would consist of 12 underpasses and flyovers, adding that the intersection would have no signal and all the roads would be constructed four-lane. In addition, a tunnel would also be constructed alongwith. He said the Authority would also have the provision for future expansion and Mass Transit System that is yet in the designing phase.—APP

[Tekno Arkitect]

Work on Zero Point Interchange to start in July

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Islamabad—The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has announced tenders for the construction of multi-billion Zero Point Interchange project while tenders would be opened in late June this year and it would take another 10 days to start work on the project.

The tenders were floated after the federal government lifted ban on tenders of above rupees 50 million projects. A senior CDA official said Wednesday that the Authority has already pre-qualified five firms. Only one firm will be short-listed after opening of tenders next month.

He said that due to ban on above rupees 50 million’ tenders the project was delayed for about two months, “but now we have floated tenders to execute the project at the earliest.”

The five pre-qualified firms include, Usmani Associates, Maqbool Associates, Habib Rafiq Limited, Associated Constructors, and Sachal Engineering Works (Pvt) Ltd.

The official said the project would be executed under two contracts, in the first three major loops of the interchange would be constructed, while in the second one, two more loops would be constructed on Suharwardy Road and Shakarparian.

The project would be completed within two-years without any further delay.

He said the Authority has finalized alternate traffic routes to be used during execution of the project. Under the plan, which would be made public shortly, the contractor would construct slip roads and loops in the initial stages to ensure smooth traffic flow.

Work on loops and slip roads would be completed within six months which would follow the construction of underpasses and flyovers, said the official.

Regarding environment assessment study, he said the Authority has completed the Initial Environment Examination (IEE) while the consultation on detailed assessment is in progress.

Under the project the contractor would take measures to protect the environment of the surroundings during construction work, he said. The official said to avoid delay in the completion of the project, the civic body has also announced a bonus for the contractor.

According to the Pakistan Engineering Council rules, a contractor is given upto 0.05 percent of total cost of the project as bonus if it completes the project before the set deadline.

The project would consist of twelve underpasses and flyovers. All the roads would be four-lane, except Islamabad Highway which would be widened to five lane.

He said the consultation on the loop and slip road falling near Pakistan Monument is in progress, adding that the proposal on the construction of tunnel on the point has been rejected.

The final design of the said loop and slip road would be vetted by National Highway Authority’s consultant, he added.

Zero Point interchange project was proposed in 90s but work couldn’t take off in the last decade due to one or the other reason. Such delay caused the project to escalate from Rs 400 million at that time to Rs 2.273 billion in 2008.

Meanwhile,Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Kamran Lashari has ordered the formal inquiry of financial irregularities in Division-IV of Roads Department of the capital’s authority.

According to sources, Deputy Director Roads Division-IV had tampered the records aimed to give financial benefit of million of rupees to a contractor.

Sources further revealed that Member Engineering Moeen-ud-Din Kaka Khel conducted the initial inquiry after objection by the Finance Wing and later the allegations of tampering the records were found correct.

Chairman CDA on this has ordered the formal inquiry of the matter and formed a committee comprised on Director QS Ijaz Ahmed Siddiqui and Deputy Director Parliament Lodges Rana Tariq Mehmood.

The inquiry report to be presented within 15 days and after that the action against the responsible would be taken, sources added.—PPI

[Abid Siddiqui]

Still no sign of any work at zero point

[Tekno Arkitect]

I guess we have to wait another month to see the reality....

[Tekno Arkitect]

Work on Zero Point interchange from July 15

ISLAMABAD - Briefing the media persons over the traffic diversion plan for the construction of Zero Point Interchange, Chairman of Capital Development Authority (CDA) Kamran Lashari announced here on Friday that work on the mega project would commence on July 15.
Lashari informed that the grade separation project at the gateway to the federal capital would cost Rs 2.27 billion and would be completed in two years.
He maintained that the motivated diversions were aimed at avoiding hassle during execution of the project and hoped that the commuters would experience no major annoyance.
The SSP (Traffic) Muhammad Zubair Hashmi, CDA Member (Engineering), Moeen-ud-Din Kakakhel, Traffic Engineer CDA, Azam Lodhi, Project Director Zero Point Interchange, Mumtaz Hussain and other senior officials of the Authority were also present in the briefing.
Hashmi informed that the ITP and CDA had chalked out a comprehensive plan for the traffic diversion during the construction of the interchange. As per the plan, traffic from Rawalpindi and Islamabad Highway to the capital city would be diverted on Garden Avenue from sectors I-8, H-8 signal while 9th Avenue would cater the traffic entering the Capital from the IJ Principal Road.
The interchange experienced severe traffic congestion at the peak hours for the last many years as an estimated number of 1,15,000 vehicles made way to and out of the capital through it. It is why people, not only in the twin cities but around the country, who frequently visited the capital, were impatiently awaiting some sort of solution at the place.
However, despite announcing one and the other date for commencing the work on the project, the same remained in doldrums for more than a decade. Last year, when CDA was all set to kick off the project, incident of the Sher Shah Northern Bypass Bridge in Karachi compelled the city managers to think again over the project design.
Actually, both Zero Point Interchange and Sher Shah Bypass, which had collapsed only a week after its formal inauguration, killing six people, was designed by the same consultancy firm, M/S ECIL. However, the Authority got the design revised by renowned consultant Col ® Muhammad Iqbal Haq, who okayed the design as safe.

While revealing details of the project, Project Director Mumtaz Hussain informed that the interchange had a Clover Leaf type design with three loops (an inclined surface or roadway that takes traffic from one level to another), four slip roads, pre-stressed RCC girder bridges, underpasses, reinforced earth walls and four pedestrians bridges.
The interchange, which would serve as a junction for the five lanes Kashmir Highway and six lanes Islamabad Highway, was designed to cater the traffic needs till 2030, Hussain maintained, adding that the tendering process of the project would be completed by June 20.
He further informed that construction work of the project would be executed in three phases.

In first phase, loops and slip roads of the interchange would be constructed while the existing roads would remain in use, he said. In second phase, two bridges, one each on Islamabad Highway and Kashmir Highway, would be constructed. During the construction of these bridges, traffic would be diverted to loops and slip roads of the interchange and one side of both the highways would be closed for traffic, he informed, adding that the remaining work would be executed in the third phase.

[Tekno Arkitect]

[Tekno Arkitect]

[Tekno Arkitect]

Is this size of the map going to help the commuters??