Islamabad, once admired for its well-planned layout, quiet streets, and orderly traffic, is now encountering growing challenges in urban management. Instead of easing commuters’ woes, many new projects often have visible and noticeable effects on daily travel. The constant noise, horns, and smoke amid heavy traffic test the patience of the people, highlighting the need for more effective planning and coordination.

The underpass at Shaheen Chowk is the latest example of this “peculiar strategy.” The goal was straightforward: to ease traffic congestion during morning and evening peak hours. Yet, despite a cost of PKR 1.5 billion, two months of intense work, extensive photographs, and grand inauguration statements, traffic jams continue unabated. The only difference is a new concrete structure standing amid the gridlock!

During morning hours, students from Air University and Bahria University still get stuck at this intersection, sometimes to the point that they have no choice but to abandon their vehicles and walk. One might joke that it’s a new way to encourage daily exercise, but in reality, it’s far from a plan for children—it’s merely an impromptu “martial arts” class in urban commuting.

Was any serious traffic study conducted before undertaking such a massive project? Perhaps one exists, but it’s likely gathering dust in some forgotten file. The problem goes beyond simple traffic flow—cross movements, U-turns, bus stops, university entrances, and pedestrian activity all play a role. Yet the planners seemed to settle on a single mantra: “Just build the underpass, and everything will be fine!”—and the public was expected to take it at face value.

What is truly frustrating—and frankly astonishing—is that a project of this scale seems to have ignored the most basic principles of planning. Traffic above remains unchanged, signals are still the same, and due to poor design, people remain trapped in jams. It seems that merely shifting a problem from one spot to another has been mistaken for urban planning.

Despite two months of work and billions of rupees spent, the public remains deprived of the promised benefits of the project. Beyond photographs and statements, tangible results are minimal, and the reasons for this shortfall are known best to the authorities.

The frustration is intensified by the fact that this is not the first time. Take Shahrah-e-Iran, for instance—repaired, excavated, re-contracted, and funded repeatedly, yet yielding zero tangible results. Every so-called repair crushed the public’s hopes, while for the planners, it remained just another “tea-time” conversation.

Even today, long queues of vehicles at Shaheen Chowk force many to abandon their cars and walk. Children, youth, and the elderly alike are trapped together. Students from Air University and Bahria University spend hours between seven and nine in the morning enduring what feels like “patience drills” at this intersection, while buses, taxis, private vehicles, and pedestrians remain hopelessly entangled in the same gridlock.

This scene is not only a test of the public’s patience but also highlights the shortcomings in the city’s planning approach. Billions of rupees were spent on a project that has yet to deliver its intended benefits. For the public, tangible results remain limited, yet the project is being showcased through statements and photographs.

The question is straightforward: if traffic jams existed before and still persist, if students were inconvenienced before and continue to be, and if citizens were frustrated before and remain so, then what purpose did the underpass really serve? Was it built for show? For ceremonial statements? Or merely so someone could claim, “The work is done”?

A city thrives on intelligence, not concrete. Until planning is guided by logic, transparency, and the genuine needs of the public, underpasses will continue to be constructed—and people will continue abandoning their cars and walking.

This project serves as a reminder that even with significant investment, without careful thought, planning, and consideration of public needs, the outcome falls short of expectations. True urban development will occur only when projects are conceived with wisdom, experience, and a focus on serving the people.