Lahore Ring Road

Lahore Ring Road لاہور رنگ روڈ
Route information
Maintained by Punjab Highway Department
Length	85 km (53 mi)
Existed	2009–present
Location
Country	Pakistan
Highway system
Roads in Pakistan

The Lahore Ring Road (Urdu: لاہور رنگ روڈ‎ is a 85-kilometer-long (53 mi) orbital highway located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is linked to the M-2 Motorway and the N5 National Highway.

A section of the Lahore Ring Road.

Lahore ring road L-20

Route

The Lahore Ring Road circles Lahore over a circumference of 85 km. Lahore Ring Road travels from Babu Sabu to Saggian Interchange, Lahore, Niazi Chowk. Then stretching straight up to Mehmood Booti, passing through GT road, Canal Bank Road, Harbanspura Interchange, Barki Road, Abdullah Gul Interchange, Allama Iqbal International Airport, Ghazi Road, DHA Phase V & VII, Sui Gas Society, Ferozpur Road, to Hudaira Drain (South) to Halloki, Bahria Town to Niaz Biag. 95% of the northern loop is now complete.

There will be an emergency lane on both sides of the road. It is estimated that 425,000 vehicles will pass through daily. All linking roads with Lahore Ring Road will be improved and widened besides repairing all important highways of the city to cater to the flow of traffic. As many as 20 interchanges will be erected on the road to provide better transport facilities.

Salient features

Map of Lahore showing major roads

Length: 85 km

Lanes: 6 lanes

Speed limit: Universal minimum speed limit of 80 km/h and a maximum speed limit of 100 km/h for heavy transport vehicles and 120 km/h for light transport vehicles

Separation: The Lahore Ring Road has a central raised concrete median and grade-separated junctions

Access: Access is restricted to fast moving vehicles only, including high-performance heavy bikes. It is fenced on either side for safety and prevention of unauthorized access by pedestrians, animals and slow-moving vehicles. Pedestrians, bicycles, low-performance motorcycles, animal-driven carriages, and other slow-moving vehicles are not permitted

History

The project was conceived in 1992, the cost of the six-lane road with a length of 177 kilometres was estimated to cost Rs 117 billion. Now the ring road, with six lanes stretching out to 443 km, comes at the cost of Rs 185 billion while the same road with 177 km will cost approximately Rs 1150 billion. Changes in government caused delays and changes in the project and the total cost estimates shot up due to increased land acquisition, improvement the standard of existing roads being used in the project, shifting of utility installations, crossing over commercial and residential areas and improvements to junctions.

Critics say lack of professional capabilities among the departments concerned, loose check and balance and the absence of third-party oversight resulted in inordinate delay and rising costs. During the project, a number of contracts had been awarded to handpicked contractors without acquiring the land for the construction of the Lahore Ring Road, the largest development scheme in the history of the provincial metropolis. Usually, land is acquired by LDA land acquisition collector, and EDO revenue, but in the Lahore Ring Road project the Board of Revenue was involved in acquiring the land exclusively. Its development is intended to ensure the efficient movement of freight and passengers, remove traffic conflicts and boost industrial development. The project includes the construction of a six-lane divided carriageway, interchanges, RCC bridges, reinforced earth abutments/walls, overhead pedestrian bridges, culverts, sub-ways, underpasses, flyovers and related works.

The Lahore Ring Road was originally conceived 25 years ago and a few studies were carried out on it over this period. The road, touted as an alternative transport route to ease the traffic load within the city, was designed and redesigned with a few alterations, keeping in view the political and economic interests of many in the ruling party. In 1991, the Japan International Cooperation Agency proposed a road-loop in the city and the World Bank prepared a feasibility report on a 60 km ring road. In 1995, the Lahore Development Authority presented its Ring Road scheme. At that time, Daewoo and other foreign companies had signed a memorandum of understanding with the LDA.

In 2003, President Pervez Musharraf directed the Punjab government to implement the project when he inspected the FC College and The Mall underpasses in 2003. The Lahore Ring Road Project was launched on December 22, 2004 at a ground-breaking ceremony attended by President General Pervez Musharaf.

The Communication & Works Department, Project Management Unit, Government of the Punjab awarded the project “Lahore Ring Road Southern Loop Feasibility Study and Selection of Route” to NESPAK in December 2007. This project was awarded to National Logistics Cell in February 2009, which subcontracted the first phase (Package 4, Saggian Interchange) to Habib Construction Services. HCS completed this phase in May 2009. The scope of work includes a route alignment study, traffic study, environmental impact assessment, project cost estimates, as well as an economic and financial evaluation. The work on the Southern Loop was going to start in 2010, but due to funding problems was delayed once again, and is now expected to start in 2011; probably by the China State Construction Engineering. As of 2010 30% of the work on the first phase of the road, from Niazi Chowk to Bund Road, which consists of 43 kilometres of new road, was nearing completion. Work on the Southern Loop was set to begin in 2010 but was once again delayed until 2011. Subsequently, this was approved once again in 2016 and the construction of Southern Loop began August 2016 and is currently in progress. The completion from Kamahan to Adda plot announced by the Government of Punjab is 22 December 2017. And on the evening of 22 December cm, Shahbaz Sharif inaugurated the project.

The completion of the southern Loop will bring benefits to the city of Lahore especially the housing societies which will be linked by it like DHA, Sui Gas Housing Society, Eden Park (adjacent to Lahore Wildlife Park), State Life Housing Society, Eden Gardens, Valencia, Khayaban-e-Amin, Lake City, AWT Scheme, Fazaia Housing Scheme and Bahria Town. Some of the important benefits for the residents of the above-mentioned societies are included increase in the value of both commercial and residential properties. The commercial activities will get a boost as their commercial areas will be quickly and conveniently accessible to the outsiders.

See also

• Indus Highway
• Karakoram Highway
• Makran Coastal Highway
• National Highways of Pakistan
• Transport in Pakistan
• Transport in Lahore

References

• http://www.nha.gov.pk
• http://www.apnaplot.pk/blog/southern-loop-ring-road-lahore-impact-on-lahore-property-prices/

External links

• National Highway Authority