Lytton Road segment to be opened for traffic

Work on first tunnel in the 1.7 km underground segment completed

LAHORE: A segment of Lytton Road that leads to Anarkali is set to open for traffic in a couple of days as work on the first tunnel in the 1.7 kilometre long underground section in the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) track has been completed, The Express Tribune learnt on Monday.

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has asked the project contractor, Habib Construction Services, to make arrangements for the purpose.

HCS Chief Executive Officer Shahid Saleem said the 190-metre long tunnel from Anarkali to PIA Planetarium had been completed. He said backfilling was under way on both sides of the tunnel. The Lytton Road segment closed for traffic because of construction activity would be opened in a couple of days as per LDA directives, he added.

The HCS CEO said once the road segment was opened for traffic work would begin on removal of mud from the 21-feet deep tunnel.

Saleem said that around 80 percent of the piles had been erected for the underground Anarkali station. The construction of five metro stations was in advanced stages. Cantilevers had been put in place on the first level, he said.

In a statement posted at his official Facebook page during his five-day visit to China, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday that he had asked the Chinese contractor CR-NORNCO to complete construction work for the metro train project by September 2017 if possible and no later than December 2017. The statement said the contractor had asked the chief minister for a week’s time to confirm the exact date of completion of work.

Of the 1.7 kilometre underground track, construction work could be started for 1.2 kilometre stretch. Work could not begin on the remaining portion owing to a court directive.

The cost of the 27-kilometre metro train is estimated to be $1.65 billion. The project is being funded through a Chinese soft loan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2016.