In January 2018, the long-delayed construction of the northern track of Lyari Expressway was finally completed and became operational. The Lyari Expressway is a 16km long road that runs along the Lyari River. The south-bound track that connects Sohrab Goth and Mauripur road was completed earlier and has been operational since 2010. It has eased travel between Sohrab Goth and Mauripur because of signal-free traffic movement.
Recently, the city administrator, Murtaza Wahab, announced that a committee would be set up to work out the possibility of opening the Lyari Expressway for heavy vehicles. In 2019, the PTI government had also suggested the same idea because it is believed that rerouting the heavy traffic from Karachi Motorway towards Lyari Expressway will relieve the Motorway of traffic. I strongly oppose this idea because the traffic of heavy trucks, trailers, and cargo vehicles will disrupt the smooth flow of traffic on the Expressway. At present, people can travel between Mauripur and Sohrab Goth within a matter of 15-20 minutes. It will become tedious to travel through the Expressway once it opens to heavy transportation because the road will become congested and reach a gridlock during rush hours.
Detouring traffic from the Karachi Motorway to the Lyari Expressway is not a feasible solution as one part of the city will be relieved of the traffic whilst another will be obstructed. To resolve the traffic problems in Karachi, there needs to be an overhaul of the entire infrastructure of the city. There is a need to plan for the development and construction of new roads, and expressways to smooth the flow of traffic in the commercial parts of Karachi.
Syed Mukarram Sultan Bukhari
Karachi
