Shahrah-e-Faisal

File:Shahrah-e-Faisal.jpg

It is not clear when the road was built, however the first Air India flight took off on 15 October 1932, from Karachi's Drigh Road Aerodrome, and the record mentions the road.{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58778273|title= Air India: The iconic maharajah returns home|date= 8 October 2021}} RAF Drigh Road was a Royal Air Force base, where T. E. Lawrence, famously known as "Lawrence of Arabia," was stationed between 1927 and 1928.{{Cite book|last=Mack|first=John E.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pnmSiLAMpZAC&q=drigh+road+karachi&pg=PA362|title=A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T. E. Lawrence|date=1998|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-70494-7|pages=362|language=en}} The airbase was established in 1918 and is now PAF Base Faisal.

A map of Karachi from 1922 doesn’t mention the road, though a map from 1944 does. Because of this, it is likely it was made in the mid to late 1920s or the very early 1930s. {{cite web|url= http://arifhasan.org/maps/historical-maps-of-karachi|title= Historical Maps of Karachi}}

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.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1UdAQAAMAAJ&q=Drigh|title=Pakistan Affairs|date=1977|publisher=Information Division, Embassy of Pakistan.|language=en}} The city of Lyallpur was also renamed Faisalabad in his honour that year.{{cite book|author=Shahid Javed Burki|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rk-sBwAAQBAJ&q=faisalabad+named+after&pg=PA196|title=Historical Dictionary of Pakistan|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2015|isbn=978-1-4422-4148-0|page=196}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in Karachi|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/298494-torrential-rain-lashes-karachi-immediately-cutting-off-power-in-multiple-areas|access-date=2020-08-14|website=www.geo.tv|language=en-US|quote="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."}}{{Cite web|title=Flooding and power outages persist as monsoon spell continues on second day|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/697577-flooding-and-power-outages-persist-as-monsoon-spell-continues-on-second-day|access-date=2020-08-14|website=www.thenews.com.pk|language=en|quote=A similar situation was observed on Karsaz, where the Karsaz flyover was closed for the traffic, due to which the volume of traffic towards Drigh Road increased.}}

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.[https://tribune.com.pk/story/680039/skin-city-the-story-of-karachis-billboards/ The Express Tribune 8 March 2014]

In 1982, the first duty free shop in Pakistan was built near the Star Gate of Karachi Airport. It was made and run by a subsidiary of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

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.{{Cite web|last=Khan|first=Iftikhar A.|date=18 October 2018|title=SC orders removal of hoardings from public land across country|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1439742|access-date=14 May 2019|website=DAWN.COM|language=en}} 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.[https://tribune.com.pk/story/1116510/faulty-construction-drigh-road-flyover-likely-demolished/ The Express Tribune 5 June 2016][https://tribune.com.pk/story/372221/road-repair-drigh-road-flyover-undergoes-repairs-for-the-22nd-time/ The Express Tribune 1 May 2012]

• 2012{{Snd}} Solar-powered streetlights installed by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.[http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/01/10/sh-e-faisal-and-sh-e-quaideen-to-be-first-to-go-solar/ Pakistan Today 10 January 2012]
• 2003{{Snd}} The majority of traffic signals have been removed{{Snd}} only two remain. The conversion into a signal-free road began in 2003 to 2007.[http://tns.thenews.com.pk/truths-and-lies-about-signal-free-roads/#.WLjQetJ97ow The News 7 September 2014]
• 2016{{Snd}} A new traffic management plan was made.[https://www.geo.tv/latest/114304-New-traffic-force-for-Shahrah-e-Faisal-in-Karachi Geo TV 10 September 2016]
• 2016{{Snd}} Rickshaws were banned for causing accidents and traffic problems.[http://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/353328-Ban-on-rickshaws-on-ShahraheFaisal-in-Karachi-de Dunya News 16 September 2016]
• 2016{{Snd}} 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.[http://dailytimes.com.pk/sindh/07-Dec-16/sindh-govt-decides-to-restructure-6-major-roads-of-karachi Daily Times 07 December 2016]
• 2016{{Snd}} 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.[http://dailytimes.com.pk/sindh/26-Dec-16/kmc-plans-to-light-up-karachi-with-mercury-energy-savers Daily Times 26 December 2016]
• 2017{{Snd}} 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 {{Convert|40|–|50|ft|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} 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.[http://dailytimes.com.pk/sindh/27-Feb-17/city-lost-around-18000-trees-from-sites-of-development-projects Daily Times 27 February 2017]
• 2018{{Snd}} The area from the Finance and Trade Centre to Metropole was re-paved.
• 2019 - Separate lane for motorbikes was made on Sharah-e-Faisal.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1439454|title=Separate track along Sharea Faisal for bikers being made|last=Reporter|first=The Newspaper's Staff|date=2018-10-17|website=DAWN.COM|language=en|access-date=2019-12-21}}{{Cite web|url=https://nation.com.pk/17-Oct-2018/separate-track-for-bikes-on-shahrah-e-faisal|title=Separate track for bikes on Shahrah-e-Faisal|last=Reporter|first=Our Staff|date=2018-10-17|website=nation.com.pk|access-date=2019-12-21}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.samaa.tv/news/2018/11/karachis-sharae-faisal-is-getting-a-dedicated-bike-lane-from-metropole-to-malir-halt/|title=Karachi's Sharae Faisal is getting a dedicated bike lane from Metropole to Malir Halt – Samaa Digital|work=Samaa TV |language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-21}}{{Cite web|url=http://video.dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/mustwatch/99585/Separate-track-for-bikes-on-Shahrah-e-Faisal|title=Separate track for bikes on Shahrah-e-Faisal {{!}} Dunya News|website=video.dunyanews.tv|date=14 February 2008 |access-date=2019-12-21}}{{Cite web|url=https://videos.arynews.tv/bike-lane-at-shahra-e-faisal-civilians-fail-to-follow-the-law/|title=Bike lane at Shahra-e-Faisal: civilians fail to follow the law|date=2018-12-01|website=Home - ARY NEWS|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-21}}

Shahrah-e-Faisal is one of Karachi's busiest roads, and is the site of frequent traffic jams.{{Cite web|title=No letup in Karachi traffic jams, despite more bridges, signal-free roads {{!}} Pakistan Today|url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2017/12/14/no-letup-in-karachi-traffic-jams-despite-more-bridges-signal-free-roads/|access-date=2020-08-14|website=www.pakistantoday.com.pk}} 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.{{Cite web|date=2015-02-08|title=Karachi's roads serve up recipe for traffic disasters|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/835251/karachis-roads-serve-up-recipe-for-traffic-disasters|access-date=2020-08-14|website=The Express Tribune|language=en|quote=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.}}

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{{Commons category|Shahrah-e-Faisal}}

{{Karachi topics}}

Category:Streets in Karachi