Flow of traffic: New bypass in the offing

Initiative will be executed on a BOT basis

LAHORE: The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) will build a bypass from the point where Defence Road touches Multan Road to Sharaqpur at Lahore–Jaranwala Road in Sheikhupura district, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The initiative will be executed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The authority has also floated a request for proposal (RFP) solicitation from local and foreign firms in connection with the project.

Official documents available with The Express Tribune reveal that the concessionaire who will secure the project will construct a 12.95 kilometre road commencing from Mohlanwal on Multan Road and terminating at Sharaqpur-Jaranwala Road. The project includes the construction of a new bridge over River Ravi, the construction of a four-ramp intersection at Mohlanwal; the construction of drainage and utility culverts at 500-metre intervals; the construction of bypass in Sharaqpur; road lighting and ancillary works. The project also includes the construction of electronic toll plaza equipped with data storage and real-time connectivity facilities.

The RFP documents reveal that the authority plans to initiate the project sometime around the middle of 2017. The timeline presented in the documents indicates that the LDA will hold two pre-bidding meetings to clarify issues and address prospective bidders’ queries on April 8 and April 27. The last date for submission of bids is May 25.

The authority will announce the names of those who pre-qualify and open technical and financial proposals between May 25 and June 6. The name of the successful bidder will be announced on June 10 and the letter of award will be issued on June 20.

A 25-year concession period has been fixed by the LDA following which the project will be handed over to the authority. The documents reveal that the LDA expects this to include two years for financial closure and the design and construction of the works followed by a 23-year operation and maintenance period. The project is expected to be completed by July, 2017 and is expected to be antiquated by July, 2040 in accordance with the concession agreement.

Presenting the rationale behind the project, the RFP documents read that access to the city is limited to Shahdara from the north, Saggian and Motorway (M2) from the west and Multan Road and Ferozepur Road from the south and southeast respectively. Keeping the rapid growth of the city in mind, the RFP documents read that new ways to access the city need to be created while those present ought to be augmented to facilitate smooth flow of traffic to and from Lahore. Considering these factors, the Government of Punjab has decided to undertake the project, the RFP documents state.   “The government has built underpasses to ease the traffic flow and prevent traffic jams, and according to official figures, Lahore has the highest number of underpasses in Pakistan. Yet, all these facilities have not solved traffic problems,” the RFP documents read.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th,  2016.