Kalma Underpass, Lahore

Kalma Underpass کلمہ زیرگذر‬
Kalma Chowk Underpass, Lahore
Location
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Coordinates	Coordinates: 31°30′16″N 74°19′53″E / 31.504382°N 74.331527°E / 31.504382; 74.331527
Roads at junction	Ferozepur Road, Gulberg Boulevard, Garden Boulevard
Construction
Type	Underpass
Lanes	4 × 3
Constructed	by Habib Construction Services and IKAN JV
Opened	3 March 2013

Kalma Underpass (Urdu: کلمہ زیرگذر‬‎) is an underpass where east-west Main Boulevard Garden Town and Main Boulevard Gulberg join under north-south Ferozepur Road, connecting two southern suburbs of Lahore, Pakistan.

The Kalma Chowk intersection is one of the busiest in Lahore, Pakistan, with traffic volume often reaching as many as 393,000 vehicles per day. Two major roads—Ferozepur Road and the joining of Main Boulevard Garden Town (a.k.a. Barket Market Road) and Main Boulevard Gulberg (a.k.a. Liberty Market Road)—meet at this junction. Long lines were common during peak traffic times, and a vehicle would have to wait for up to eight minutes.

The recent inception of Metrobus, a popular mode of transportation in Lahore, made further improvements necessary at the Kalma Chowk junction. The Punjab Government considered these public difficulties and decided to construct an underpass from Gulberg to Garden Town, including four signal-free U-turn lanes, to improve traffic flow. An estimated 150,000 vehicles would benefit each day from the construction of the underpass and signal-free U-turns. The project was initiated on 11 December 2012, with a mobilization period of ten days. The actual date of commencement was 21 December 2012. In spite of inclement weather and several landslides due to rainfall, the project was completed in eighty days. Currently, it is the longest underpass in Pakistan, with a full height of 5.1 meters (17 feet) and a structural integrity capable of supporting light and heavy vehicles alike.