Proposed in 1997, Lakkar rly overbridge finally inaugurated.

Proposed in 1997, the Lakkar railway overbridge was finally inaugurated by Punjab Assembly speaker Charanjit Atwal and irrigation minister Sharanjit Dhillon recently.

City mayor Harcharan Singh Gohalwaria also attened the inauguration.

In April 2014, one side of this Y-shaped bridge (Reikhy Cinema point) was opened for public and on Saturday the second point towards Bhadaur House from Old Courts Chowk was inaugurated.

The bridge replaces almost 100 year pedestrian-only bridge and is now open for vehicular movement from both sides.

The work on the bridge was stalled for more than a decade due to technical snag and it was in 2009 that the then mayor Hakam Singh Giaspura and Ludhiana Improvement Trust chairman Ashok Juneja flagged off the pending pending.

Since then the bridge has seen shifting deadlines from August-October-December 2011 to December 2012 and then July 31, 2013.

The project which was initially proposed at a cost of Rs. 10 crore in 1997 has now been completed at a cost of Rs. 50.82 crore.

Although the bridge has been constructed to reduce traffic congestion on Damoria bridge side and Jagraon bridge, heavy traffic snarls were witnessed at Mata Rani Chowk immediately after bridge was inaugurated.

The Municipal Corporation is planning to construct a slip road at Mata Rani Chowk to solve the problem, sources said.


THE INDIAN EXPRESS