LAHORE: The caretaker Chief Minister of Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi, laid the foundation stone for the civil work of the Akbar Chowk flyover-cum-underpass project on Tuesday.
The project, costing Rs3.10 billion, is designed to accommodate two-lane traffic and will serve the needs of commuters from Faisal Town, Johar Town, Kot Lakhpat, and other localities.
According to Lahore Development Authority (LDA), officers were directed to complete the project within three months instead of the initial timeline of four months.
The details suggest that the number of beneficiary vehicles for the project is estimated to be around 105,000 per day.
Furthermore, the flyover, spanning over 700 meters, will have two lanes and will start before the intersection, take a slight curve to the right before reaching the intersection, cross the underpass, go straight, take another curve to the left, and return to its original alignment and route.
Moreover, the underpass, spanning over 540 meters, will have two lanes and will run from Akbar Chowk on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road to Jinnah Hospital to Qainchi (Kot Lakhpat, Ferozepur Road) via Model Town Link Morr and Pindi Stop.
It is to note that the project is part of the Maulana Shaukat Ali Road signal-free corridor scheme, which was approved by the Punjab government in June 2021.
The corridor will connect the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train (Multan Road) with the Metro Bus (Green Line) on Ferozepur Road (Qainchi stop) and reduce travel time to 15 to 20 minutes from the current 45 to 60 minutes from Kharak (Multan Road) to Qainchi via Shaukat Ali Road.
Additionally, the project includes the construction of underpasses, flyovers, protected U-turns, pedestrian bridges, elevated paths/passages for motorcyclists, and footpaths for pedestrians.