Model town underpass: Govt approves construction but design undecided

Residents demand alternative exit while construction underway.

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has granted approval in principle for the construction of a one-way underpass for traffic entering Model Town from Ferozepur Road. Meanwhile, Model Town residents have demanded an alternative exit while construction is underway.

Project Director Mazhar Hussain, who is also a director at the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency, said that the government had approved the construction of an underpass, but various design details were yet to be finalised so he could not say how long the project would take.

Earlier, the government had approved a Rs200 million project to build a tunnel for a future underpass at the site. Construction companies SKB and Habib Constructions began building the tunnel around 10 days ago and have laid 50 of the 150 piles for the tunnel. But the construction work has resulted in a partial closure of the main exit from Model Town to Ferozepur Road, resulting in major traffic problems.

Officials familiar with the project said that the underpass would start some 90 metres from where the Kalma Chowk Flyover ends. The two-lane underpass would have two 150-metre ramps, one at the entrance and one at the exit. The central passage would be 30 to 50 metres wide. The officials said though the design had not been finalised, this was the construction plan for the tunnel approved earlier.

One official said that the approach to the underpass would be to the left of the bridge (for traffic heading towards Model Town) and motorists using the flyover would not be able to use it. He said that it was yet to be decided whether the approach would have two lanes or three lanes. He said that some land might have to be purchased for the project.

Motorists leaving Model Town and headed towards Kalma Chowk would use the slip lane while motorists wishing to go towards General Hospital would have to go via Ittefaq Hospital on inner Model Town roads. The official said that allowing traffic using the flyover to go down the underpass would slow traffic and cause accidents.

Residents of Model Town said that the ongoing works had resulted in traffic chaos. An elected Model Town Society official said that there were only two exits, at Ferozepur Road and via Garden Town. He said that the Ferozepur Road exit was partially closed and so the Garden Town exit was choked. He said that another exit point should be set up while the construction is underway.

He said that if traffic heading for Model Town was unable to use the flyover, there would be traffic jams under it. “They are creating traffic problems rather than addressing them,” he said, adding that residents were considering protests and approaching the courts with their grievances.

MTS Civil Engineer Taimoor said that the society had not been informed of the any recent developments on the underpass. He said that he had not been told of where the underpass would start or end, but if the exit was at Nursery Chowk, it was a bad idea as it would result in more traffic problems. He said that the society had demanded the project design so they could plan the relocation of services, but they were yet to receive it.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2012.