This road is one of Karachi's busiest, and is used by approximately 250,000 cars and vehicles daily.[1][3]
History
Jam Packed Shahrah-e-Faisal
It is not clear when the road was built, however the first Air India flight took off on 15 October 1924, from Karachi's Drigh Road Aerodrome, and the record mentions the road.[4]RAF Drigh Road was a Royal Air Force base, where T.E. Lawrence, who later was famously known as "Lawrence of Arabia," was stationed between 1927 and 1928.[5]
In the 1970s, Shahrah-e-Faisal was part of the National Highway and thus belonged to the Government of Sindh. In 1977 under the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq, Drigh Road was officially renamed Shahrah-e-Faisal after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.[6] The city of Lyallpur was also renamed Faisalabad in his honour that year.[7] Only the road itself was renamed, and the Drigh Road name continues to be used in other contexts, such as Drigh Road Railway Station, Drigh Road Flyover, and Drigh Colony. The old name continues to be used informally.[8][9]
In the 1980s, the Government of Sindh transferred the road to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation. An estimated 250,000 or more above vehicles now use the road daily.[1][10]
In 1987, Shahrah-e-Faisal had around 30 hoardings (billboards). By 2014, their number had grown to 140, from Hotel Metropole to Gora Qabristan, earning the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Rs. 250 million per year. In 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered these billboards removed because, over time, several had collapsed in strong winds, killing and injuring a number of people.[11] In 2016, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation decided to demolish the Drigh Road flyover, which needed multiple repairs since it was built in 1996. This flyover on Shahrah-e-Faisal takes traffic from the airport towards Gulshan-e-Iqbal.[12][13]
Upgrades
2012 – Solar-powered streetlights installed by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.[14]
2003 – The majority of traffic signals have been removed – only two remain. The conversion into a signal-free road began in 2003 to 2007.[15]
2016 – A new traffic management plan was made.[16]
2016 – Rickshaws were banned for causing accidents and traffic problems.[17]
2016 – As part of the Karachi Mega Infrastructure Development Projects, greenery was added on each side, as well as the green patches, and footpaths were built.[18]
2016 – Karachi Metropolitan Corporation spent Rs 70 million on the replacement of old bulbs with energy-saving mercury bulbs on roads in Karachi, starting with Shahrah-e-Faisal.[19]
2017 – Thousands of trees and hundreds of electric poles were uprooted by the Local Government Development Project Directorate in order for the road to be widened by 12–15 m (40–50 ft) on both sides. The area from Star Gate to the Finance and Trade Centre was re-paved by the government of Sindh in Phase I of the Karachi Development Project. A complete overhaul of the Drigh Road Flyover was started after the completion of the Aan underpass.[20]
2018 – The area from the Finance and Trade Centre to Metropole was re-paved.
2019 - Separate lane for motorbikes was made on Sharah-e-Faisal.[21][22][23][24][25]
Traffic
Shahrah-e-Faisal is one of Karachi's busiest roads, and is the site of frequent traffic jams.[26] The Road Traffic Injury and Prevention Centre of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre showed that at least one person dies, and an average of 83 people are wounded, every day on Karachi roads. Shahrah-e-Faisal is considered to be the deadliest road.[27]
^"Heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in Karachi". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 14 August 2020. Water started stagnating at Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Teen Talwar, Do Talwar, Bath Island, Hotel Metropole, Nursery, Karsaz, Baloch Colony, Drigh Road, and President House Road. Situation in the Airport police station's surroundings worsened due to at least 1.5-foot deep rain water on the roads, including Drigh Road, with traffic coming to a halt. Officials under the leadership of superintendent of traffic police (SP) have employed large pumps to drain the stagnating water.
^"Karachi's roads serve up recipe for traffic disasters". The Express Tribune. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2020. According to their research, streets in Karachi have become extremely dangerous for motorcyclists, pedestrians and for passengers of public buses. "Shahrah-e-Faisal has proved to be the most fatal road, followed by the Korangi industrial Area street, Shahrah-e-Orangi and Mauripur Road," commented the head of RTIR & PC Dr Juma Khan.
