The Punjab government’s elevated motorway project to alleviate traffic congestion in Lahore has been included in the Master Plan 2050.
Because the project’s estimated cost has risen to Rs. 85 billion, the provincial finance department will now need the federal government’s approval to carry it out.
The project cost has risen by Rs. 54 billion due to delays in starting work, an official told The Express Tribune. An elevated track will be built from Home Economics College in Gulberg over a stream, bypassing Shadman, Samanabad, Ferozepur Road, and Gulshan Ravi to end at the motorway, as part of a project planned several years ago.
Vehicles traveling to and from the highway will use the motorway, reducing traffic congestion in the city. The project’s initial estimated cost was Rs. 31 billion, but work could not begin and the plan was lost in the files.
After nearly three and a half years, the government led by former chief minister Usman Buzdar resumed work on the proposed project, which called for the construction of 10.5 kilometers of elevated motorway with four lanes.
For this, the authorities must buy 801 kanals of privately owned land and transfer it to Lahore Development Authority (LDA). A total of Rs. 3.5 billion has been set aside for the compensation of those affected by the collapse of buildings along the passageway.
There will be six interchanges between the Home Economics College and Motorway. The daily capacity of the expressway is 73,866 vehicles, according to a traffic survey. The expected duration of the project was 15 months. However, due to the lengthy delay, construction costs have skyrocketed.
