Walton Road to be made signal-free corridor: Naqvi
LAHORE: Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi inspected the CBD Punjab Bab District and Walton Road upgradation project on Tuesday.
He inspected the entire length of Walton Road and gave instructions for early disposal of stagnant sewerage water as it poses difficulties for road users. He directed the Wasa MD and CBD officials to use the best resources for water drainage. He also advised effective traffic management measures during the construction activities.
The chief minister emphasised the importance of the Walton Road upgradation project, stating that it would transform Walton Road into a signal-free corridor, resolving the longstanding issues of traffic and drainage.
The CBD Bab District and Walton Road upgradation project will incur a cost of Rs9.5 billion, he added. CEO CBD Imran Amin briefed about the project, highlighting that it involves diversion works, transportation of installations and work on the ADA drain. The contract for the project has been awarded to NLC. CBD Punjab was also working on the infrastructure of CBD Bab District. Sewerage, excavation work and ADA drain cleaning were in progress.
The briefing mentioned that CBD Punjab would complete the iconic structure of Bab-e-Pakistan besides creating green spaces and playgrounds for sports activities. Overhead bridges and underground crossings will be developed as well. There will be a separate sewerage line that will go up to Hadiyara Drain. Walton Road will also have protection against U-turns, it further said. Provincial Ministers Amir Mir, Azfar Ali Nasir, commissioner Lahore, CCPO, DC and CBD officials were also present.
Inspects Khalid Butt Chowk underpass
The chief minister visited the Khalid Butt Chowk underpass project at Cavalry Ground along with provincial ministers Amir Mir, Azfar Ali Nasir, and Ibrahim Hasan Murad. Over 90 per cent of the work has been completed.
Mohsin Naqvi conducted a detailed review of the construction work, including the construction activities of the underpass inner walls. Expressing satisfaction with the progress, the chief minister directed to expedite the pace of work, aiming to complete the underpass by the middle of this month. He instructed the PHA director general to undertake tree planting and landscaping on the greenbelts around the project. The CM announced that the Khalid Butt Chowk underpass would be opened to traffic soon.
Upon completion, the project is expected to provide convenience to daily traffic flow for over 180,000 vehicles. Commissioner / DG LDA, Chief Engineer and contractor briefed on the progress of the project, stating that the work on the inner walls would be completed in the next few days.
Construction work on the inner road of the underpass continues day and night, with rapid progress on the deck-slap and surrounding roads. Deputy Commissioner, DIG (Operations), CTO and others were also present.
