First section of Lahore Ring Road almost ready

* Azadi Chowk-Shahdara road to open this week
* Bidding for third section of LRR on May 22

By Khawaja Naseer

LAHORE: Part one of the Lahore Ring Road (LRR-1) from Niazi Chowk interchange to Sabzi Mandi is almost complete and the road from Azadi Chowk to Shahdara should be open to general traffic by the end of this week. The road from Shahdara to Azadi Chowk should be open in the first week of June. The executive engineer of the Communications and Works (C&W) Department deputed at the construction site confirmed this.

According to the project plan, the first phase is due to be completed on May 22. The project began on November 22. The one-kilometre, six-lane LRR-1 includes four loops, four ramps and a bridge at Niazi Chowk.

The 2.7-km LRR-2, from Niazi Chowk to Saggian Bridge, is currently under construction while the Communication and Works (C&W) Department will float the tender for the construction of the 1-km LRR-3, from Sabzi Mandi to Mahmood Booti, this week, sources in the provincial government told Daily Times.

The C&W Department plans to award a contract for the beautification of LRR-1 to the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), the sources said.

Presently, with the road from Niazi Chowk Interchange to Sabzi Mandi closed, traffic from Shahdara must go to old Ravi Bridge and then Niazi Chowk to enter the city.

About LRR-2, the sources said construction on three lanes on the right side of Bund Road had begun. They said another 60ft of land on the right side of Bund Road was required and the land acquisition wing was offering Rs 400,000 per marla. LRR-2 will be 2.7 km long.

The sources said that the city government, after several meetings with those displaced by LRR-2, was offering compensation of Rs 225,000 to Rs 350,000 per marla. The city government initially offered Rs 195,000 per marla, but around 12,000 displaced people objected, which led to the revision.

Senior officials of the National Engineering Services of Pakistan visited the LRR-2 site on Wednesday and inspected the pace of development.

LRR-3 will be about a kilometre long and will start from the bridge next to Sabzi Mandi, the sources said. It includes a plan to construct a flyover to cover the rail track near Badami Bagh station. Four international and national companies are expected to participate in bids for the LRR-3 contract, likely to be held at the C&W office on May 22.

The 77-km Lahore Ring Road will cost about Rs 18 million and take two years to finish. According to the proposed design of the LRR, the road will go from Babu Sabu to Niazi Chowk, Shama Ichra, Kalma Chowk, Ferozepur Road, Allama Iqbal International Airport, Mahmoodpura, Harbanspura, Darugawala, Mahmood Booti, Old Ravi Bridge and New Ravi Bridge.

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