LAHORE: The civic authorities have recommended construction, improvement, rehabilitation and realignment of 27 roads and intersections, including some newly-proposed or approved ones, and 16 new “structure-plan roads” to reduce the traffic load on several spots in the Lahore city district.

The authorities have also launched a “grand” anti-encroachments drive in a bid to remove traffic bottlenecks, Dawn has learnt on Sunday.

“Despite completing several infrastructure related project, the authorities have, so far, not been able to ease traffic congestion in the city and control noise pollution. Therefore, the authorities concerned have chalked out a comprehensive plan to resolve civic such issues,” a senior official said.

According a report compiled and shared by the Traffic Engineering & Transport Planning Agency (Tepa), the authorities, after conducting a compressive study, have recommended various development schemes for the provincial metropolis.

These schemes include traffic improvement/management plans for Khalid Butt Chowk (Masood Anwari Road) and T Junction of Main Boulevard, Gulshan-e-Ravi and Bund Road, remodeling of U-turns on the Ferozepur Road from Qartaba to Ichhra and U-turns in front of Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Jail Road, traffic management plan of Avari Chowk and Faisal Chowk, Mall Road, Regal Chowk, Nishtar Chowk, Ferozepur Road, Bhaati Chowk, Data Darbar and surrounding areas, Shimla Hill intersection and surrounding area, Garhi Shahu Chowk, Babu Sabu intersection and Bund Road, Shahdra Junction, Lahore Cantonment, Corps Head Quarters, Kareem Block intersection and Joray Pul, Zarar Shaheed Road, parking plan for the Lahore High Court, improvement plan of Bedian Road and Khayabane-Iqbal, DHA – Walton Road Junction, traffic improvement plan for Bhubtian Chowk, widening of Barki Road, remodeling of Centre Point junction, Gulberg, improvement of Cooperative Store Chowk, GT Road, construction of an underpass at Morr Samnabad Chowk, signal-free corridor at Maulana Shaukat Ali Road, construction of road from Babu Sabu interchange to Imamia Colony via Faizpur interchange and launch of Elevated Expressway from Gulberg to Babu Sabu, M-2 Motorway.

“The aforementioned projects need to be immediately implemented by the departments concerned (LDA, MCL, Cantonment Boards etc) for improvement of traffic flow and reduction in traffic congestion,” the report, which has also been shared with the Lahore High Court, recently reads.

It also recommends construction of “structure-plan roads” to share load of the increasing traffic and ease public mobility in the city. The structure plan guides the civic agencies about the development or redevelopment of an area by defining the future development and land use patterns, areas of open space, the layout and nature of infrastructure (including roads and transportation links) and constraints that influence how the effects of development are to be managed.

“The structure plan roads are strategically planned to conserve the right of way of future roads network which shall be required during expansion of the city, especially in southern part of Lahore. So far, Tepa conserved more than 200kms of ‘right of way’ of structure plan roads in south of Lahore in accordance with Master Plan 2021, thus saving Punjab government from spending approximately Rs30 billion on acquisition of land or otherwise. These roads will be built as and when required on availability of land, funds & future needs of population,” explains the report.

These roads include road along the high-tension line from Raiwind Road, crossing Pine Avenue up to the railway line (at a cost of over Rs1.333 billion), road from Defence road, crossing KEMC Housing Scheme, Bagh-e-Irum, Khayaban e Amin up to Butcher Khana distributary (545.95 million), road starting from railway line, crossing Pak Arab Phase-II up to Ferozepur Road at Kalamkar Road (over Rs1.040bn), road starting from Hudiara Drain, crossing Zaamin City, Pak Arab Phase-II up to Defence road (Rs556.927m), road from College Road along Khaira distributary up to Defence road (railway line) (Rs988.911m), road (College Road) starting from Akbar Chowk and passing through UET Housing Scheme, Audit & Account Housing Scheme up to Defence road (Rs132.183m), road (Southern By-pass) starting from Canal, crossing Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, College Road at Ameer Chowk, railway line, Defence road up to Ferozepur Road (over Rs2.218bn), road along Butcher Khana distributory from Khayaban e amin interchange up to Halloki interchange (Rs475.042m), road starting from Khaira distributory passing through Nashama-e-Iqbal phase-II, Muhafiz town Phase-II, up to Defence road (Rs631.68m), road from Khayaban-e-Jinnah, passing through WAPDA town, PGECHS Phase-II, NFC, Valencia Housing Scheme up to Defence road (Rs327.886m), road starting from Shahpur Interchange, crossing Khayaban e Jinnah, WAPDA Town up to College Road (Rs36.739m), road (Chenab Road) staring from Khana Kacha Road, crossing LDA City up to Sue Asal Road (over Rs1.046bn), road (Hunza Road) starting from Khana Kacha Road, crossing LDA City, Central Park, up to Sue Asal Road (over Rs1.062m), road starting from Ayub Chowk at Southern Bypass, crossing Abul Sattar Edhi Road up to Khayaban-e-Jinnah (over Rs3.304bn), road from Expo at Southern Bypass parallel to Canal up to Ring Road at Bahria (over Rs5.278bn) and road starting from railway line, crossing Royal Residencia, Zaamin City up to Ferozepur Road (Rs705.917m).

The report also claims that Tepa has also provided 500 new jersey barriers for various spots in the city district. The spots where these barriers have been installed include Shahdara, Anarkali, Defence and Airport area, Ichhra, Sadar, Model Town, Mughalpura, Gulberg and cantonment areas.

“The anti encroachment operations are also underway in Gulshan-e-Ravi, Township, Raiwind Road, Multan Road and Karim Block Market,” the report says.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2022