RAWALPINDI:
Completion of Phase 1 of Rawalpindi Ring Road, a project with an estimated cost of Rs 50 billion, which could not be completed within the deadline set by the Punjab Chief Minister during the year 2025, is now projected for March 2026.
Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) also stated that the feasibility study and PC-I for the second phase of the ring road will be completed by March next year.
According to details, the feasibility study of the second phase of the ring road, which extends from Thalian Interchange on M-2 Expressway to GT Road (M-5), will cost an estimated Rs 52 crore and is expected to be completed by March 2026. The PC-I of the project will then be prepared, for which the services of NESPAK have been roped in.
It is pertinent to note that the Rawalpindi Ring Road route starts from Banth Mor on the GT Road and ends at Thalian Interchange on the Expressway after covering a distance of 38.6 kilometres. The cost of the project has increased from Rs 33 billion to Rs 50 billion. During a site inspection, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had ordered that the project be completed at all costs by December 30, 2025.
However, according to GDR sources, approximately 75 percent of the works have been completed so far. The land acquisition process is currently underway to convert Thalian Interchange into a broad-based interchange, allowing it to be used for future expansions.
While Phase One is projected to be completed by March 2026, RDA sources caution that it cannot be said with certainty whether the project, including the extensive Thalian interchange, will be fully completed by then.
