LUCKNOW: Having undertaken project of widening of Lohia Path, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s dream project, the state Public Works Department (PWD) is all set to give it another facelift by proposing an additional flyover between PICUP and Indira Gandhi Pratishthan. This will be apart from construction of the much needed flyover on Faizabad road to connect the existing flyover to government polytechnic college. The PWD is already in the process of broadening the Lohia Path from its existing width of eight lanes to 10. Sources said this will make Lohia Path the widest road, not only in the city but also in the state. The additional two lanes come about by demolishing the once existent cycle and walking track on both sides of the Lohia Path.

Well placed PWD sources said the design of the two flyovers has been prepared and sent for state government sanction. Principal secretary, PWD, Rajnish Dubey, confirmed that the designs had been submitted and were being scrutinised.

While the one proposed between PICUP will be two-laned and stretch for a distance of around half-a-kilometer. It will divert traffic to and fro Lohia Path towards Indira Gandhi Pratishthan and the proposed new campus of the high court in Vibhuti Khand, the one at Faizabad road will divert traffic of Faizabad road to the existing L-shaped flyover constructed over government polytechnic. This way the polytechnic flyover will become Y-shaped. Presently, traffic from HAL on Faizabad road has to go underneath the flyover to move further up to Faizabad road. This creates a major traffic hurdle underneath the flyover constructed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

The state government had also proposed acquiring polytechnic land to widen it further and ease out the traffic congestion underneath the flyover. But that is yet to be done.

The Mayawati regime had converted part of the cycle and walking track on the 7 Km long Lohia Path into a railway over bridge (ROB). The ROB on the other side is still being worked on given the grave yard that falls on its way. PWD engineers said they would be constructing a platform over the graveyard to pave way for the ROB.

With the usage of the cycle and walking track already in question, the Akhilesh Yadav government after coming to power had decided to do away with the tracks altogether to widen the Lohia Path, which has been witnessing an ever increasing traffic growth over a period of time. The widening has been ostensibly adhered to around two malls and multiplexes situated on Lohia Path.