30% civil work of Signal Free Corridor Gulberg-Jail Road completed
Lahore, Pakistan: Â 30% civil work of Signal Free Corridor Gulberg-Jail Road has been completed so far while project had completion date of October 30—the deadline fixed by the Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif. The length of project is 7.6 kilometres.
Initially, the timeline of the project was fixed on June 30 by the Punjab Government but a civil society organization, Lahore Bachao Tehreek, challenged the development project in court and the project was delayed for two months. After getting permission from the Supreme Court, the LDA resumed work in August and okayed the contractor Habib Construction to shift the machinery on the site. Digging for the underpasses is underway while most of the infrastructure of LESCO, WASA, Sui Gas, telephone and other departments have been shifted to the alternate places.
Meanwhile, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has decided to bring some changes in the design of the project due to therefore PC-I will be revised according to the requirements and the cost of the project will go higher.
According to LDA sources, under the new design remodelling of roads from Siddiq Trade Centre towards Cantonment will be carried out to ease the flow of traffic. Kinniard College For Women also has been asked to give some land for drop lane from the existing boundary wall area after that the wall would be reconstructed.
Work on the project site is in progress in full swing on day and night basis to meet the target of opening the underpasses and roads within stipulated time frame.
The sources said that the project would be completed in one and a half months according to the approved design.
According to the approved design by the Punjab Government, the signal free corridor will start from the Liberty Roundabout and end at the Qurtaba Chowk on Ferozepur Road.
It will not only cut down road occupancy time but also increase capacity of Jail Road and the Main Boulevard, Gulberg.
During the construction work, traffic flow on this busy route was affected due to reopening of educational institutions, including Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), APWA College for Women, Kinnaird College for Women, Home Economics College Gulberg , Service Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), Crescent Higher Secondary School Shadman and Fatima Memorial medical College etc.
City Traffic Police has deputed additional strength of over 102 personnel on roads and at diversion points to ease traffic.
The length of the road under the project is 7.6 kilometres.