Only about 1 km of road widening completed, carpeting completed, no progress made on remaining 27.4 km
RAWALPINDI:
Despite the allocation of Rs 23,840 crore in the federal budget 2025-26 for the dualization of the Soan Camp-Model Town-Kahuta road (28.4 km), along with the Sihala railway junction flyover and the Kahuta bypass project, the construction work has failed to progress beyond one kilometer even after 11 months.
According to details, the mega infrastructure project, approved by the ECNEC on July 27, 2023, was aimed at converting the key Rawalpindi-Kahuta highway into a highway and improving connectivity with Azad Kashmir through Rawalakot and Kotli, giving it strategic importance as a defense-linked route.
However, despite budget allocations in the current fiscal year, no significant development work has been carried out. Only about a kilometer of road widening and carpeting from Kahuta Y-Cross to Hothla stop was completed before work was halted, with no visible progress on the remaining 27.4 km or markings for dualization.
The elevated component of the Sihala railway crossing project has also not been started, further delaying the overall plan.
The slow pace of work has worsened traffic congestion on the route, causing daily difficulties for commuters, including frequent accidents, delays and disruptions to official and business trips.
