LAHORE: The Samanabad-Gulshan Ravi underpass will be ready for motorists from July 31.

Though the construction work faced a bit of delay due to rains, shifting of major sewer lines, and other services, officials claim that the project is being completed two months before its actual deadline of Sept 30, as mentioned in the contract.

“The construction work on the project had been launched in December last year,” Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa told Dawn on Friday.

“And under the contract, the completion deadline is Sept 30. But since the government wants its completion as early as possible, we are trying our best to do so.”

He called the Rs1.8318 billion project the first of its kind where a number of grown trees were saved from cutting or uprooting by changing the design without any additional cost.

According to a report, the project’s scope of works includes connecting Samanabad (from Samanabad Mor/Multan Road) with Gulshan Ravi. The total length of the underpass is 440 metres (220 metres each side), with a width of 12.3 metres and a height of 5.1 metres — a height fit for the passing of heavy vehicles.

The project has four service lanes of 6.6 metres width (two metres on each side) along the underpass. The allied works completed and ongoing included shifting of Water and Sanitation Agency-related services (trunk sewer, drainage, and electrical works).

The beneficiary areas of the project include Samanabad, Gulshan Ravi, Tauheed Park, Yateem Khana, and adjoining areas. The annual fuel saving, vehicle operating cost saving, and travel time saving after completion of the project have been estimated to be Rs45.34 million, Rs68.63 million, and Rs35.80 million.

“The project, when conceived and approved by the government, had carried a complex nature and challenging tasks ever faced by the authorities on any project in Lahore, making it unique in its nature. These included a huge quantum of sewerage and water supply network shifting — 550 metres long trunk sewer (54 inch and 48-inch diametre), 800 metres long water supply lines (18 inch, 12 inch, 6-inch diametre), Sui gas network/pipelines (12 inch, 4 inch, 2-inch diametre), and 900-metre long Lesco network (poles, cables, transformers, etc),” explains the report.

“To ensure a continuous smooth flow of traffic during the project on Multan Road - densely populated areas, working was executed in phases, and only one side was taken up at a time,” it reads.

As many as 78 trees were saved through the revision of the engineering design with no additional financial impact. Uninterrupted water supply was also ensured to densely populated areas of Samanabad, Gulshan Ravi and Multan Road, even during the shifting of the water supply network, through the provision of temporary diversion network arrangements.

Uninterrupted sewerage flow was also ensured to densely populated areas of Samanabad, Gulshan Ravi, and Multan Road, even during the shifting of trunk sewers, through the provision of special pumping arrangements at trunk sewers. Since day one until now, Multan Road traffic flow was never stopped, even for a moment. The execution of piles and barrel slab on Main Multan Road was carried out while ensuring the traffic flow on Multan Road.

“Moreover, a dedicated camp for land acquisition affectees has been established at the site for the disbursement of compensation to affectees at their doorstep,” the report claimed, adding that despite all challenges and difficult execution scenarios, efforts are being made to complete the project two months before the contractual completion time.

Talking to Dawn, a senior official engaged in completing the project said that at the moment, plastering of the walls of the underpass is underway.

The first layer of the asphalt has been laid, followed by another in a day or two. The other ongoing/finishing works include the at-grade separation of the underpass’s lanes, construction of barrier walls, and other works related to sewerage and service roads.

“The work at the underpass is being carried out round the clock, enabling us to open the underpass on July 31 by all means,” the officer, requesting anonymity, maintained.

Published in Dawn, July 22th, 2023