LAHORE: A mega infrastructure project in Lahore Cantonment, the Khalid Butt underpass (Cavalry Ground), is set to open on Nov 5 as the pace of work on construction activities has been accelerated in this regard.

With the completion of this project, along with the Ghora Chowk flyover, residents will enjoy a signal-free drive from Cantonment to Gulberg, Kalma Chowk, and vice versa, saving their precious time and energy.

Engineering officials have recently committed to Caretaker Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi to open the Khalid Butt underpass and its allied works by Nov 5 and Nov 30, respectively, as per information received by Dawn.

The pace of work on the Khalid Butt Underpass project has been accelerated after the executing agency, Lahore Development Authority (LDA), gave a commitment to the chief minister regarding the opening of the underpass on Nov 5.

“We will open the underpass for traffic on Nov 5. However, the allied works (on ground roads, slip roads, beautification, etc.) will be completed by Nov 30 (10 days before the deadline),” LDA’s project director Haroon Saifi told Dawn when contacted.

He said that since all pile-works have been completed, there should be no issue in opening the underpass on Nov 5. According to a document, the total project cost is Rs2.384 billion. It is a four-lane underpass (two lanes on each side) with a total length of 540 meters and a width of 15.8 meters. The project scope of work also includes the improvement of at-grade (at ground) road networks. The project will make a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

Similarly, the estimated deadline to complete the Ghora Chowk project is Dec 10. The project is located at the intersection of Masood Anwari Road and Walton Road, and once completed it will address bottlenecks, providing smooth passage for 180,000 vehicles daily, which currently congest the whole intersection up to Khalid Butt Chowk.

Moreover, as a part of the Signal-Free Corridor from Kalma Chowk to Walton Road, two underpasses (at Centre Point and Firdaus Market) have already been completed. The project design speed is 40 km per hour, making it signal-free with two U-turns.

The flyover’s total length is 450 meters, involving land acquisition of 7.56 kanals. The project will provide signal-free access from Centre Point to Walton Road and from Walton Road to Kalma Chowk.

“So far, we have completed all pile-works, and we plan to complete the project as per the set deadlines,” Riaz Hussain, Lahore Business District executive director, said.

“We will surely complete the project on December 10—the deadline fixed for this purpose.”

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2023