Part of Pakhowal Road RUB to be completed by August 31, says minister

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 19

After inspecting the project site on Thursday, Cabinet Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said the railways part of the Pakhowal Road rail underbridge (RUB-2) would be completed by August 31, while the construction of the approach road to the RUB would start within this week.

A rail overbridge (ROB) and two rail underbridges (RUBs) are part of an ongoing project on Pakhowal Road, the deadline for which is August 31.

The Cabinet Minister said the Pakhowal Road RUB-2 would be used for vehicular traffic coming along the Sidhwan canal and going towards Sarabha Nagar (near skating rink). Senior officials of the Railways Department had assured that they would complete their part of Pakhowal Road RUB-2 by August 31.

Williamjit Singh, deputy chief engineer (construction division) of the Northern Railways, said during the second wave of Covid-19, the construction work got delayed because there was no supply of oxygen cylinders required for cutting steel.

Ashu said the construction of Pakhowal Road ROB and RUB-1 was also going on in full swing. The joint project was worth around Rs 120 crore and would provide much-needed respite from traffic congestion to city residents.

He said during a meeting with the Union Railways Minister in April, the latter had assured that the project would be completed at the earliest. The minister said he had directed the railways staff to prepare a time schedule and submit a progress report, along with photographs, every four weeks.

The ROB would be 839.83 metre long and would be constructed from Sidhwan canal towards Hero Bakery side, along Pakhowal Road, over the existing railway track. The RUB-1 would be 458.20 metre in length (from Hero Bakery side towards Sidhwan canal under the existing track), whereas the RUB-2 would be 1,018.46 metre long.

Ashu said the project would be beneficial for area residents, who currently suffer due to traffic congestion on Pakhowal Road. The project was one of his main promises to the residents of Ludhiana (West) constituency and he would personally supervise it, the minister maintained.

Meanwhile, he said the proposal to construct an ROB near Dana Mandi on Gill Road would also be submitted to the Railways. Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu and MC Commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal were also present.

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