Metro Bus route: Plans afoot for elevated u-turns at two junctions

Four u-turns to address traffic issues at Azadi Chowk, Chungi Amar Sidhu.


Rameez Khan June 30, 2013
The Tepa officials said that the construction of the elevated u-turns would require land acquisition and the shifting of road side services. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:


The Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) is planning to build four elevated u-turns on Ferozepur Road to address congestion problems at two Metro Bus Service junctions, The Express Tribune has learnt.


Since the bus corridor was built, there have been serious traffic problems at Azadi Chowk and Chungi Amar Sidhu. The government installed ‘intelligent’ signals which can switch lights according to traffic load at these junctions to allow general vehicles to cross over to the other side of the road, but they have not resolved congestion issues.



Tepa is now planning to build four elevated u-turns, two at each junction, so that the bus corridor here is cut off from general traffic. The National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) has done a traffic count at the junctions and is to submit its findings to Tepa in a few days. Nespak has already presented a concept design of the construction to the Lahore Development Authority director general.

According to Tepa officials, the construction would be similar to the u-turns built for the Kalma Chowk underpass. The u-turns at Azadi (or Yadgar) Chowk and Chungi Amar Sidhu would run over the Metro Bus route. Vehicles approaching Azadi Chowk on Data Darbar Road from the Lower Mall would be able to take a u-turn around 100 metres ahead of the junction and then take a left onto Circular Road. Similarly, traffic coming from Circular Road heading towards Ravi Bridge, rather than taking a right turn across the bus corridor at the junction, would turn left and then take the elevated u-turn to land on Data Darbar Road facing Ravi Bridge. At Chungi Amar Sidhu, traffic coming from Kacha Road, Defence Road and Kamahan Road, rather than crossing at the junction, would be able to use the u-turns.

The Tepa officials said that the construction of the elevated u-turns would require land acquisition and the shifting of road side services. As per the current design, they estimated the cost of the project to be over Rs3 billion.

An LDA official said that the traffic issues at Azadi Chowk represented a design fault in the Metro Bus route, as the eight-kilometre elevated bus track descended to ground level just a few hundred metres before the junction. Had the elevated track continued past Azadi Chowk, no elevated u-turns would be required.

If approved by the Punjab government, the project would be sent to the Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department and then to the Planning and Development Board, which would grant financial approval.

Tepa Chief Engineer Saeed Akhtar estimated that work on the project would start by the second quarter of the next financial year. He said that the design was yet to be finalised, after which cost could be estimated.

Metro Bus Authority officials said that they had warned the government about potential traffic issues at Kalma Chowk, Chungi Amar Sidhu, Azadi Chowk and Ravi Bridge. They said that the government had planned to build bridges at these locations, but they were not aware of its current plans.

The Express Tribune tried to contact Intelligent Transport System Urban Unit Project Coordinator Muhammad Razzaq to ask about the intelligent traffic signals, but he was not available for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2013.

COMMENTS (2)

Al_Chemisto | 10 years ago | Reply

Why dont u make alleviate trak for bus at those crossings rather than making dangerous u-turns?

Obvious | 10 years ago | Reply

"An LDA official said that the traffic issues at Azadi Chowk represented a design fault in the Metro Bus route,"

An additional Rs3billion of taxpayer money going to be WASTED to solve a problem that was originally touted to be solved by the Metro Bus System. What a farce of a government. Thats what you get for tall claims and rushing projects for political points.

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