ISLAMABAD: After completing several road projects in the capital, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) launched another road scheme, while the long-delayed 10th Avenue project continues to await government funding.
Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ataturk Avenue expansion project, which will cost Rs241 million. State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry and CDA officials were also present on the occasion.
Under the project, the existing single-lane stretch of Ataturk Avenue from Jinnah Avenue to Ayub Chowk will be converted into a dual carriageway. According to the approved plan, the CDA is expected to complete the work within two months.
Speaking at the ceremony, the interior minister directed the CDA to finish the project as early as possible and ensure there is no compromise on quality.
Over the last two years, the CDA has completed several major development projects in Islamabad through its own funds. These include the Serena Interchange, Murree Road underpass, T-Chowk, F-8 flyovers, and work on the Shaheen Chowk-Margalla Road link, which is still in progress.
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However, the much larger 10th Avenue project, which is funded by the federal government, remains stalled due to a lack of funds.
The project, worth Rs10.2 billion, was launched in 2022 and was originally supposed to be completed by March 2024. But work has remained suspended after the government stopped releasing funds for it.
For the current fiscal year 2025-26, the federal government has made no allocation for the project.
After the expiry of the extended deadline of December 30, 2025, the CDA engineering wing granted another six-month extension to the contractor, the National Logistics Corporation (NLC).
At the site, earthwork from IJP Road to H-9 has already been completed, and five overhead bridges have also been constructed. However, the project is now almost abandoned, raising fears that the existing structure may begin to deteriorate if work does not resume soon.
Once completed, 10th Avenue is expected to become an important road corridor in Islamabad after 9th Avenue, which was built during the PML-Q government.
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Out of the total Rs10.2 billion cost, the federal government had released Rs4.2 billion since 2022. According to the CDA, that amount has already been spent.
Recently, CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani said timely release of funds was necessary to avoid further delays and keep the project moving.
“We have already taken up this issue with the federal government and will take steps to ensure the project is completed at the earliest,” he said.
A CDA official, requesting anonymity, said the Ataturk Avenue project should not be compared with the much larger 10th Avenue project, but agreed that the stalled road should be completed without delay.
He said the CDA had already asked the federal government to release funds for what he called an important public welfare project. He added that since the earthwork between IJP Road and H-9 has already been completed, asphalt work should begin as soon as possible.
Another CDA official said that if the federal government does not release funds, the CDA should consider completing the project from its own resources.
“Leaving this project unattended is not a solution,” the official said.
