LDA to construct expressway on GT Road

LAHORE:

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) will construct a 5.8 kilometre long expressway on GT Road from the Ravi River Toll Plaza in Shahdara to Rachna Town near Kala Shah Kaku, said a statement on Saturday. The road will be designed, funded, constructed as well as operated for 25 years by the private sector under the Punjab Public-Private Partnership Act of 2014. The law allows private companies exclusive rights to collect toll from vehicles using the road during these 25 years.

The LDA statement said the road would cater only to automobiles. It said access would be restricted for all other kinds of traffic including rickshaws and motorcycles.

It said the project would include two flyovers, at Shahdara Mor and the Railway Line at Imamia Colony, and an underpass at Shahdara Mor to allow signal-free movement to Jaranwala-Lahore traffic. The thoroughfare will have a dedicated corridor in the middle for the Metro Bus service. With the completion of the project, the bus service will run from Gajjumatta to Rachna Town. Currently, it ends at Shadara. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2015.