Stayed: Work was afoot on signal-free corridor

LAHORE:

The construction of an underpass at Fawara Chowk on Jail Road had started this week, and the construction company in charge of it had placed diversion signboards along the road.

Habib Construction Services (HCS) had also built a site office next to Gora Qabristan.

A site engineer said digging for alignment of alternative routes had begun and the construction area had been cordoned off.

Earlier this month, the Lahore Development Authority had awarded the HCS a contract to construct a 7-kilometre-long signal free corridor from Qurtaba Chowk on Jail Road to Liberty Roundabout on Main Boulevard, Gulberg, at a cost of Rs1.3 billion after a competitive bidding process.

The project includes two underpasses and seven signal free U-turns.

One of the underpasses was to be constructed at Shadman Chowk for traffic from China Chowk to Shadman Market. It would have facilitated a signal-free traffic flow along Jail Road.

The second underpass was to be constructed near Sherpao Bridge for traffic moving towards the Canal Bank Road.

Seven signal-free u-turns at Eden Centre Chowk, Shadman Chowk, PIC Chowk, Canal Bank Road, Zafar Ali Road, Fawara Chowk, Main Market Chowk and Zahoor Elahi Chowk were part of the project.

The construction of four pedestrian bridges at a cost of Rs60 million was also planned.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2015.