Lakkar Bridge’s curved span likely to aggravate traffic congestion

As the curved span of Lakkar Bridge (railway over bridge) is likely to be opened in February, buzz is that it will aggravate the traffic issues at the Mata Rani Chowk.

People commuting from Lakkar Bridge to Mata Rani Chowk are bound to face difficulty to lower the speed of vehicles as per claims of road safety experts while the busy intersection could also lead to long traffic jams. Distance between Lakkar Bridge and Mata Rani Chowk is nearly 100 meters while there are buildings on both sides of the road.
Traffic experts feel that there was lack of proper planning before starting the Y-shaped Lakkar Bridge project. The project commenced more than 15 years ago and has missed several deadlines.

International traffic expert, Kamaljit Soi said, “According to the traffic safety norms there should be free place on both sides where the people come from the flyover towards Mata Rani Chowk. This intersection is at a very less distance from the railway over bridge and that is commonly known for traffic congestion. After opening of this curved span, serious traffic problems will be witnessed.”

“The normal speed of a vehicle is around 50 km/hour here. The intersection of Mata Rani Chowk will be a real bottle and there will be high chances of crashes and congestion. It is a tricky situation as there are buildings on both sides on road from between RUB and Mata Rani Chowk,” he added.

Rahul Verma, another traffic expert said, “We have a meeting with MC officials who will inform us about the planning of this railway over bridge. A discussion will be held soon.”

It was learnt that a meeting of the municipal corporation (MC) and traffic police will be conducted on December 18 to find a solution to this issue. It is also required to0 mention here that the encroachments on roads and large number of auto rickshaws are leading to traffic snarls in routine.

Sources said the municipal corporation had not planned to deal with situation while the MC’s headquarter was located next to the this intersection.

Jaswinder Singh, a commuter said, “I pass through the Mata Rani chowk in routine and it is indeed a serious problem. MC should find a solution to prevent mishaps and traffic congestion.”

Additional commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said, “We have been planning to close the intersection. There is an option to construct a slip road to reach the main road to Jalandhar bypass but there is a need of acquisition of a building, although it is an expensive proposition. However, we will conduct meetings with traffic police to reach a substantial conclusion in this regard.”