Shahrah-e-Faisal

Shahrah-e-Faisal is one of the main roads in Karachi, Pakistan. It is 18 kilometers long from Hotel Metropole to the Star Gate.^[1][2]

History

It is not clear when it was built but the first Air India flight took off on October 15, 1924 from Karachi's Drigh Road Aerodrome.^[3]

The name was changed to Shahrah-e-Faisal after the Islamic summit held in Lahore in 1974.^[4]

Shahrah-e-Faisal was part of the National Highway in the 1970s, and thus belonged to the Government of Sindh. In the 1980s the Government of Sindh transferred it to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. An estimated 0.25 million vehicles move through Sharae Faisal daily.^[5]

Shahrah-e-Faisal’s sound construction and durability are held up as an example among Karachi roads. It has withstood wear and tear because of strict compliance with standards and because its large number of drainage outlets. It received a major upgrade and extension in the early 1980s.

Development

• 2012 - Solar-powered streetlights are to be installed along the Shahrah-e-Faisal by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.^[6]

• 2014 - the majority of traffic signals have been removed with only two remaining on this road. The conversion of Karachi’s Shahrah-e-Faisal into a signal-free road began in 2010.^[7]

• 2016 - A new traffic management plan for Shahrah-e-Faisal.^[8]

• 2016 - Rickshaws were banned on Shahrah-e-Faisal for causing accidents and traffic problems.^[9]

• 2016 - As part of the Karachi Mega Infrastructure Development Projects sideways, green patches and footpaths are being constructed along Shahrah-e-Faisal.^[10]

• 2016 - Karachi Metropolitan Corporation will spend Rs 70 million on the replacement of old bulbs with energy saver mercury bulbs. The first phase will be carried out on Shahrah-e-Faisal.^[11]

• 2017 - Thousands of trees and hundreds of electric poles have been uprooted by Local Government Development Project Directorate from Shahrah-e-Faisal in order for the road to be extended by 40 to 50 feet on both sides.^[12]

Problems

In 1987 Shahrah-e-Faisal had around 30 billboards. In 2014 there are 140 billboards from Hotel Metropole to Gora Qabristan that earn the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Rs. 250 million a year.

In 2012 the Drigh Road Bridge was under repairs for the 22nd time. The bridge connects Shahrah-e-Faisal from the airport with Gulshan-e-Iqbal.^[13]

The Road Traffic Injury and Prevention Center of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre showed that daily at least one person dies on the roads in the city. On average 83 people are wounded daily. Shahrah-e-Faisal is considered to be the deadliest road.^[14]

In 2016 the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation decided to demolish the Drigh Road flyover, an engineering disaster that needed multiple repairs since it was built in 1996. This flyover on Shahrah-e-Faisal takes traffic from the airport towards Gulshan-e-Iqbal.^[15]

References