KARACHI — What was once hailed as a landmark infrastructure project aimed at easing Karachi’s chronic traffic congestion has now turned into a long-running urban nightmare. The Karimabad Underpass, initially launched in 2023 with a budget of Rs 1.5 billion, has seen its cost balloon to a staggering Rs 3.7 billion, while its completion remains nowhere in sight.
The project, which was originally supposed to be completed within 10 months by September 2024 has faced repeated delays and shifting deadlines. Authorities first revised the completion date to September 30, 2025, but that, too, has now passed without progress. In a familiar pattern of extensions, officials are now promising to open the underpass by December 2025, though many Karachiites have grown skeptical of such assurances.
For the city’s residents and business owners, the delay has brought daily misery. The prolonged construction has left roads dug up, narrowed lanes choked with traffic, and local traders facing huge losses. Many shopkeepers say their businesses have been nearly destroyed due to restricted access and the sharp decline in foot traffic.
“This project was supposed to make life easier, but it has only made things worse,” said an elderly resident of Karimabad. “It takes ages just to cross this area now traffic is stuck all day, and people are exhausted.”
Commuters and locals blame both poor planning and bureaucratic red tape for the mess. “Whenever we ask the contractors, they tell us they haven’t received funds,” said another resident. “How can a city like Karachi wait four years for an underpass to finish? It’s unbelievable. This doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
What was meant to be a solution to traffic gridlock has ironically become one of its biggest causes. Vehicles are forced to take long detours, while congestion during rush hours has worsened in nearby neighborhoods.
Urban planners and civic activists have criticized the lack of transparency and accountability in major development projects like this. They argue that without proper funding mechanisms and oversight, such projects risk becoming endless money drains instead of city improvements.
For now, the Karimabad Underpass remains a symbol of broken promises a half-finished structure that reflects not progress, but the persistence of Karachi’s infrastructural chaos.
