Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will today (Sunday) inaugurate the much-awaited northbound carriageway of Lyari Expressway project in Karachi. The Expressway will become operational immediately after its formal inauguration, said the spokesperson for National Highway Authority (NHA), Kashif Zaman while talking to Business Recorder. The project that started in 2002 saw frequent delays due to non-availability of required right of way (ROW) owing to large-scale settlements and encroachments on either side of Lyari River.
A parliamentary panel was recently informed that the cost of Lyari Expressway project has increased by over 150 percent with the original cost of Rs 5.9 billion that was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) to the estimated cost of Rs 12.99 billion. When the work started on the Expressway in May 2002, the NHA had scheduled completion in 30 months (ie by November 2004) but the project is still being implemented and delays have been attributed to encroachment, litigation and funds issues. However, Kashif Zaman said that PC-1 cost of the project was Rs 11.94 billion, but after the completion of the project, the total cost is around Rs 10 billion.
Southbound (16kms) of the project was completed and opened for traffic in 2008. Work on Northbound (16km) had been stopped after completion of work on 6.5km of in 2009. The work restarted on a serious note in 2016 when the remaining ROW was made available to NHA. He said the total length of project including ramps is 38km with a construction cost of Rs 10 billion. It includes 4 interchanges, one each at Sohrab Goth, Manghopir, Sir Shah Suleman and Maripur. Besides, 20 major bridges are also part of the project.
The project carries immense importance in reducing the ever growing traffic volume inside the city. The traffic coming from port and Super Highway (now M9) will use the Expressway to reach their destinations without going into the city. It will also reduce the flood damages to the areas along the river and will add to the environmental protection of the entire area.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.