Road works: Kalma Chowk underpasses to open soon

Project to build underpasses, proposed in 2011, came to a standstill due to the construction of Metro Bus System.

LAHORE:

The Kalma Chowk underpasses are to be inaugurated in the next 10 days as construction work is almost complete, according to the project director.

“We only need around three days to finish it, but rain is slowing down the pace of work,” Project Director Khalid Alvi told The Express Tribune. “All that remains is to lay down asphalt.”The project to build underpasses at the busy intersection was first proposed in 2011 when the Kalma Chowk flyovers were built, but placed in cold storage as the government prioritised construction of the Metro Bus System.

But last December, as the MBS project neared its end, work on the underpasses began amidst fears of large traffic pile-ups for vehicles travelling between Gulberg and Garden Town, as the MBS corridor would cut off that connection.

The cost of the underpasses currently stands at Rs1.76 billion. One three-lane underpass will be 1,290 metres long and the other four-lane underpass will be 774 metres long. Two u-turns will be built at each end of the underpasses, in order to make Kalma Chowk a signal-free corridor.

Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning officials were originally given till the end of January to complete the underpasses, but the work has been delayed because of its large scale and bad weather, which has caused mudsliding at the site. The closure of the road has also led to myriad traffic problems.



Anti-Dengue Day

Local government officials conduct a large-scale search and destroy mission for mosquito larvae on Sunday, which the Punjab government has declared as Anti-Dengue Day.

Inspection teams will visit graveyards, junkyards, construction sites, tyre shops and other public areas looking for pools of water that provide a rich breeding environment for dengue mosquitoes.

DCO Noorul Amin Mengal said that MNAs, MPAs and city government officers would take part in walks to be held in each of Lahore’s nine towns to raise awareness of dengue and preventive measures against the disease.

The Lahore Waste Management Company said that it had made special arrangements and deployed extra staff to clear up solid waste around the city. The leaves of all staff has been cancelled for Sunday and the company is also to organise walks on the day.

Meanwhile, the Healtwll public hospitals and medical colleges and attached offices to remain open on Sunday and inspect their buildings and grounds for mosquito breeding sites.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2013.