LAHORE: The Lahore bridge (Qainchi flyover) expansion project has become a major source of inconvenience for motorists and residents in the surrounding areas due to significant delays in its completion, leading to severe traffic and environment issues.

Additionally, the project has also become a headache for the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) as it has been unable to complete this major undertaking.

“Traffic congestion has become a constant problem as we often get stuck on the existing bridge. However, the government seems indifferent and has not paid attention to this issue,” laments Dilshad, a motorist.

“Like me, motorists can stuck at this point for almost half an hour while heading towards Gajjumata,” he added.

LDA official says the project picked up the pace after PM’s inspection

According to Omar, a local resident, the delay in completing the project on time is negatively impacting public health.

“Residents, pedestrians, shopkeepers and motorists are suffering from cough, chest infections and other respiratory issues due to dust pollution and carbon emissions. Furthermore, noise pollution is disrupting the peaceful lives of the people,” he explained.

He mentioned that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently inspected the construction site and instructed the authorities to complete the project as soon as possible.

“We demand that the government expedite the completion of this project,” he urged.

The Lahore bridge project was initially expected to be completed in September last year. However, it faced various issues, including the non-issuance of a no-objection certificate from Pakistan Railways, non-compliance with power shutdowns by Lesco, and other operational challenges.

The project is part of the Rs1.711 billion Gulab Devi underpass project, with the underpass being opened to traffic in June of last year. Unfortunately, work on the bridge expansion could not gain momentum due to these issues.

The need for the Lahore bridge arose after the LDA conducted a survey prior to the project’s launch, which revealed that traffic heading towards Gajjumata and Kasur from Kalma Chowk experienced congestion at the existing Lahore bridge due to its narrow width (two lanes). However, traffic proceeding towards Kalma Chowk from Gajjumata and Kasur did not face any issues at this spot since that side of the bridge has a three-lane road stretch.

Considering this, it was decided to expand the bridge (the two-lane side heading towards Gajjumata and Kasur) by constructing an additional two-lane flyover alongside the existing one, with a one-meter gap. The construction work was initiated alongside the Gulab Devi underpass project.

According to sources, the progress of adding the two-lane overhead bridge alongside the existing one has been slow due to the delay in obtaining the NOC, non-compliance with power shutdowns to prevent electrocution incidents, and the need to relocate poles, wires and cables for various reasons such as Ramazan, Eid, Muharram and weather conditions.

“The pace of work on the project has picked up after Prime Minster Shehbaz Sharif’s surprise visit to the site. He also ordered the suspension of a senior official from the Lahore Electric Supply Company for not observing the shutdowns to facilitate LDA in completing the project,” said an LDA official. May 31 has been set as the final deadline for completing this project.

“I am confident that the expanded portion of the bridge will be open to traffic by May 31,” he stated, emphasising that the LDA is not responsible for the previous delay.

The LDA administration has instructed the engineering wing to ensure the completion of the project by May 31.

In a recent meeting, Lahore Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa had also warned the officers that there would be no compromise on the deadline of May 31.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2023