A number of Kabul residents are complaining about delays in road construction projects and the abandonment of some roads midway through construction in the city. They say that delays in completing these projects and the blocking of traffic routes have made people’s daily lives difficult. According to them, the closure of main routes has forced vehicles to use side roads and longer routes, adding to traffic congestion in different parts of the city. Kabul residents add that repeated work stoppages and the start of new projects before the completion of earlier ones have worsened these problems. They warn that with the arrival of winter and the start of rainfall, the condition of unfinished roads and traffic in the city will become more difficult.
Kabul residents are calling on the Taliban-controlled Kabul Municipality to speed up the implementation of the projects and to complete the unfinished sections before the winter rains begin.
Ehsan, an employee of a private organization in Kabul, says that the unfinished road construction projects and the closure of main routes have made his daily commute difficult. He adds that because some roads are closed, vehicles are forced to travel along more distant routes, which has caused him to spend more time on the road and arrive late at his workplace.
Ehsan says: “The route from our home toward the Shahid intersection is heavily blocked, and vehicles are forced to take longer routes. For this reason, vehicles arrive late at the stop, and when they arrive, passengers rush to get on board. As a result, we arrive late at our workplaces every day.”
Sardar, another Kabul resident, says that the slow pace of road construction projects and repeated work stoppages have left some routes unfinished for a long time. He adds that in some projects, road construction proceeds section by section, and after one part is completed, work stops and the other sections remain unfinished for a while. According to Sardar, the continuation of this situation over nearly the past two years has made travel difficult for residents and made the process of implementing projects tiresome.
The young man says: “It has been about two years since one side of the road was built, but the other side is still unfinished. Sometimes they asphalt one section, and then the work stops. After a while, they asphalt another section, and again the work stops. This project has been going on for nearly two years, and people are facing many problems because of this situation.”
Sayed Agha, another Kabul resident, says that the unfinished state of infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, and culverts, has disrupted people’s movement and the transport of goods. He adds that continuing these projects in winter may bring further difficulties, and that the cost and process of transporting construction materials will also increase.
The Kabul resident says: “Projects that are left unfinished, whether a road, a bridge, or a culvert, disrupt people’s movement, the transport of goods, and traffic. We demand that they complete their projects before winter arrives. If they know they cannot finish a project on time, they should schedule its implementation so that it does not face snow and rain, because in winter the price of raw materials such as cement goes up and transporting it becomes more difficult.”
Hashem, another Kabul resident, says that unfinished road construction projects in some areas, in addition to blocking roads, have increased traffic congestion and dust. He adds that the Barki road project is progressing slowly, and that continuing work on it has made travel difficult for citizens. According to Hashem, the Kabul-Jalalabad road project, which was supposed to be completed within two years, has now entered its third year but has still not been finished. He says that because of the congestion caused by these projects, he sometimes spends two to three more hours on the road during his commute.
Hashem says: “In some places, houses have been demolished because of road construction, and the roads are also closed. As a result, congestion and dust have increased, and people are facing many problems. The Barki road project is moving very slowly and has caused congestion. The Kabul-Jalalabad road project was also supposed to be completed in two years, but now it is the third year, and it still has not been completed. In my opinion, it may not be finished even by next winter. Because of this same gridlock, I sometimes stay on the road two to three hours longer than usual, and commuting has become very difficult for me.”
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
تاخیر در تکمیل پروژههای سرکسازی؛ رفتوآمد در کابل دشوارتر شده است
