Punjab Government Revives Plans for Lahore Elevated Expressway to Tackle Traffic Woes

The Punjab government is once again taking serious steps to tackle Lahore’s ever-worsening traffic congestion by reviving work on the long-delayed Lahore Elevated Expressway Project. This major infrastructure initiative aims to provide relief to thousands of daily commuters by reducing traffic pressure on the city’s key roads and arteries.

In a recent high-level meeting, Housing Secretary Noor-ul-Amin Mengal reviewed the current status of the project and laid out fresh directives for its future. He instructed the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) to re-evaluate and replan the project on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis — a model increasingly favored for large-scale infrastructure development in Pakistan due to its public-private partnership structure.

Under the BOT model, a private developer would finance, build, and operate the Elevated Expressway for an agreed period — possibly up to 30 years — during which toll fees would be collected from vehicles to recover the investment and ensure long-term maintenance. After this period, the expressway would be transferred back to the government.

The Housing Secretary also directed officials to update the project’s cost estimates and design plans to align with modern urban requirements and ensure financial viability for potential investors.

The Lahore Elevated Expressway, if relaunched successfully, is expected to serve as a dedicated corridor to alleviate bottlenecks on existing roads, especially during peak traffic hours. This would significantly improve mobility for thousands of cars, motorcycles, and public transport vehicles that use Lahore’s congested routes daily.

Lahore, a city of over 13 million people, has been grappling with severe traffic gridlocks for years. Despite flyovers and underpasses built in recent decades, the volume of vehicles continues to grow rapidly, putting immense strain on the road infrastructure.

Urban planners and daily commuters alike have long called for sustainable solutions that expand the city’s road capacity while integrating modern transport management systems. The proposed Elevated Expressway could become an important link in Lahore’s broader urban mobility network, complementing projects like the Metrobus and Orange Line.

While the revival plan has sparked optimism, its success will depend heavily on transparent planning, fair public-private collaboration, and ensuring that toll charges remain affordable for the public while covering private sector investment.

If the plan moves forward as expected, the Lahore Elevated Expressway Project 2025 could mark a significant step toward modernizing urban traffic management in one of Pakistan’s busiest cities.

Afsheen Gohar

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