ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) plans to build a 16 lane toll plaza at the Islamabad Interchange on the Peshawar to Islamabad Motorway.
An NHA official said on Sunday that the new toll plaza would be constructed at a distance of about 300 metres from Fateh Jang Interchange.
He added that presently a temporary toll plaza had been set-up after segregation of the M-1 and M-2 toll and following the handing over of the M-1 toll to the Frontier Works Organisation on a Build Operate Transfer basis.
Commuters have been demanding the construction of a modern toll plaza at the exit point of M-1 Islamabad for a lengthy time due to the non-availability of a proper plaza in the area to improve the flow of traffic.
A daily motorway user said that the long queues at the toll plaza caused a lot of delays at the exit of the motorway. He also said that the old plaza had 12 booths at the exit while the new plaza had only six to eight booths. This meant, he pointed out, that he had to leave his home at least 30 minutes ahead of time to get to work punctually.
Other commuters also gave their opinions, with some saying that the delay meant that sometimes travelling on the motorway took more time than on the Grand Trunk Road (N 5). Another commuter said that the construction was much needed, adding that it was a good initiative on the part of the NHA as the FWO had already built a modern 16-lane toll plaza at the end point of the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2).
