Pakistan is witnessing an unprecedented expansion of its road infrastructure. Roads, flyovers, underpasses and urban arteries are being constructed or upgraded across the country, with Punjab taking the lead. The expansion of road infrastructure is undoubtedly necessary, but the speed with which roads are being constructed has exposed a serious weakness: the absence of coordinated planning among the agencies responsible for roads and underground utilities.
During his tenure as interim chief minister, Mohsin Naqvi accelerated infrastructure development in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala. The pace has continued under the present provincial government, while Karachi has also recently entered a period of rapid infrastructure development. The federal government is financing road projects in several parts of the country, including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where improvement is progressing at a slower pace.
Too many road projects are being designed as if the road itself were the entire infrastructure. Existing water, sewerage, gas, telecommunications and other utility networks running beneath or alongside these roads are often not adequately incorporated into the construction plan. Even more problematic is the failure to provide new or upgraded utility networks before the new road surface is laid. This creates a predictable problem: a newly constructed road may look impressive for a few weeks or months, only to be dug up by another government department or utility company.
Water and sewerage authorities may need to replace ageing pipelines. Gas companies may require new connections or shift existing lines. Telecommunications companies may lay fiber-optic cables. Electricity agencies may need to install or relocate underground infrastructure. Each agency has its own priorities, schedules and contractors. Without a central coordination mechanism, the same road can be excavated repeatedly. The result is a costly cycle of construction, excavation and reconstruction.
It is particularly wasteful because the cost is ultimately borne by the public. Taxpayers pay for the road, then pay again when it is damaged by utility work, while motorists suffer traffic congestion, dust and inconvenience. The repeated digging also shortens the life of roads and undermines the quality of otherwise expensive infrastructure.
Pakistan needs to change this approach fundamentally. No major road should be constructed without first completing a comprehensive underground utility plan. Before a road is rebuilt, all relevant agencies should jointly determine what water, sewerage, gas, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure will be required during the coming decades. Existing lines that are obsolete or approaching the end of their useful life should be replaced at the same time. New pipelines and ducts should be installed before the road is surfaced.
The same principle should apply to telecommunications. Pakistan is rapidly moving towards a digital economy, yet fiber-optic and other communication networks are still frequently installed through ad hoc excavation. Major urban roads should incorporate properly planned underground ducts capable of carrying future telecommunications and digital infrastructure. A state-of-the-art shared cable network could prevent repeated excavation every time a new operator needs to expand its services.
Naturally, this requires a powerful coordination mechanism. A single authority should be responsible for approving the complete infrastructure plan for major roads, with the water board, sewerage agencies, gas companies, electricity providers, telecommunications operators and municipal authorities required to coordinate their work before construction begins.
There is another equally serious problem in large cities which is traffic management during construction. Roads are being reconstructed simultaneously at multiple locations, often without adequate alternative routes. In some cases, alternate roads are narrow, encroached upon or poorly maintained. The result is traffic chaos. Motorists lose hours in congestion, fuel consumption rises and the public is exposed to dust and what may be called ‘asthmatic pollution’ from construction activity.
