Rawalpindi Ring Road nears completion ahead of expected July opening

RAWALPINDI: The Rs47 billion Rawalpindi Ring Road project is expected to be ready in the first week of July, with the main asphalt work on the 38-kilometre route now complete, according to a senior project official.

Deputy Project Director Ashfaq Sulheri said construction on the road was in its final stage and the Punjab government would be informed of its completion by the first week of next month. He said the provincial government would then decide the date for the inauguration, after which the road would be opened for traffic.

Speaking about the current status of the scheme, Mr Sulheri said the asphalt work had been finished within the stipulated timeframe. He added that landscaping along the right of way was in progress, while signboards were being installed. Lampposts and lighting are also being put in place and, according to him, that work is expected to be completed within a month.

He said only limited finishing work remained, including drains, lane markings and fencing along the corridor. Special grass is also being planted on high embankment slopes as part of the final works.

Interchanges and traffic projections

The official said work on the Thalian interchange would begin after the ring road itself is completed, most likely next month. He said the interchange is expected to take around three months to finish and will include four lanes, along with expansion of a bridge over the motorway towards Islamabad International Airport.

Mr Sulheri said the road is projected to carry more than 30,000 vehicles daily, with a speed limit of 120 kilometres per hour.

He said a tolling mechanism would be introduced on the route. “A toll system will be introduced on the road similar to the one on Lahore Ring Road,” he said.

After the road opens, it is expected to draw 25 to 30 per cent of general traffic travelling between G.T. Road and Motorway Chowk, in addition to 70 per cent of goods transport. The shift is expected to reduce congestion on roads in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Project layout and background

The total length of the road is 38.3 kilometres, stretching from Baanth on G.T. Road to Thalian on the motorway. It includes five interchanges at Baanth, Maira Mohra, Khasala, Kolian Parr and Thalian. An industrial zone is also planned around the corridor.

The Rawalpindi Development Authority is the executing agency for the project, while the Frontier Works Organisation is carrying out the construction work.

The road had originally been planned as a 68-kilometre project during the PTI government, but work was halted after a financial scam and a revised alignment of 38.3 kilometres was later approved. Former prime minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone in March 2022.

The project was temporarily stopped under the PDM government led by Shehbaz Sharif before being cleared again following third-party validation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later performed the foundation stone ceremony for the road at Rawat on August 8, 2023.