Canal Road underpass nears completion

LAHORE
The construction work on Canal Road Underpass at Jinnah Hospital Intersection and extension of Maulana Shaukat Ali Road is near completion and the chief minister will soon inaugurate the project.
LDA sources said Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif will inaugurate the project during the last week of January 2015. They said construction of both the road and underpass had almost completed and contractors were giving final touches.
A senior LDA official said the authority had spent around Rs 1.7 billion for the completion of 3.4 km Maulana Shaukat Ali Road and the underpass. He said the total length of this road will be 3.4 km while two underpasses will be constructed on this road, first at Lahore Canal Crossing and second at Wahdat Road Crossing. Out of the total length, the length of new road within the Punjab University premises is about 1.8 km length whereas rest of the road, which is already passing through Allama Iqbal Town and connecting with Multan Road will be reconstructed and renovated.
The new road is a three lanes of 12 ft each dual carriageways with 24 ft service road on either side, he said, adding latest LED lights are being installed on this new road while other features of this road included storm water drainage and walkways.
LDA officials said the road will improve mobility situation, enhance accessibility to area around and the university in particular, congestion alleviation on road network and comparatively better environmental conditions.
They said as per census-98, population in Lahore Metropolis is expanding at 3.2 pc per year, which included natural growth as well as urban migration.
The present population of about 9 million will be about 15 million by Year-2030, which will be almost double the present day thereby multiplying traffic issues, they maintained.