GUJRAT: Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced the construction of a flyover to connect GT Road of Gujranwala city with the 15.2-kilometre-long expressway linking the city with Lahore-Sialkot Motorway (LSM-M11).

He made the announcement during his inspection visit to an under-construction Gujranwala expressway on Friday. Gujranwala Commissioner Naveed Haider Sheerazi, secretary of communication and works, and FWO officials were also present.

The chief minister also directed the Gujranwala administration to remodel Chan Da Qila Chowk, where traffic often gets stuck.

A senior official of the FWO briefed the CM on the progress of the expressway construction, stating that at least 72pc of the work had been completed so far. The flyover will culminate near Aimanabad Mor along GT Road, whereas the expressway will connect the LSM at its Wando interchange.

Mr Naqvi said the expressway was a gift from the government to the people of the country’s major industrial town of Gujranwala, and the road would become functional by the next month, reducing the travel time between Lahore and Gujranwala by at least 45 minutes.

Commissioner Sheerazi told Dawn the construction of the flyover had been decided to facilitate the traffic going to Gujranwala from the expressway, and it would land on GT Road towards Gujranwala.

Also, he said the planned flyover was of a short length, and the construction would be completed within a couple of months by the FWO, with the funding being provided by the Punjab government through the revision of the cost of the original expressway scheme.

He said remodelling of Chan Da Qila Chowk at Rawalpindi bypass would be carried out by the district administration, potentially reducing traffic congestion at the intersection.

Work on the expressway was launched in July last year with the task assigned to the executing agency to complete the project within 90 days at the cost of Rs11 billion.

Earlier, the 89-kilometer-long LSM-M11 had faced criticism for its uneven flow, with even former PM Nawaz Sharif criticising its quality during his speech in Sialkot around two weeks ago.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2023