Rawalpindi: The Rawalpindi Ring Road project, a multi-billion-rupee initiative, has reached 80 percent completion, but its deadline has been extended from the end of March to late April due to pending approval of the revised PC-I, which increases the project cost to Rs53 billion.
Officials said the delay is largely due to work remaining on the Thalian Interchange, which will connect the Ring Road to the M-2 Motorway. The revised PC-I is currently under review by the Punjab Planning and Development Board, which is expected to take up the matter in its upcoming meeting.
Deputy Project Director Ashfaq Sulheri said structural work is almost complete, with 90 percent of bridges finished, including the railway bridge, and asphalt laid over a 22-kilometre stretch. The total length of the Ring Road from Baanth to Thalian is 38 kilometres.
The Rs5 billion Thalian Interchange has been added to the project to handle more than 18,000 vehicles entering the Motorway daily and to prevent future congestion. Work on the interchange will commence as soon as the revised PC-I is approved.
Sulheri explained that the overall cost escalation to Rs53 billion is due to three main factors: construction of the Thalian Interchange, flood-prevention measures after lessons from recent Motorway-5 damages, and rising construction material costs.
The Planning and Development Board recently sent a technical team to inspect the site, reviewing flood mitigation plans and the interchange layout. Procurement of road lights and advanced signboards has been completed, and plantation work along the Ring Road has begun. For the first time, six- to eight-foot trees are being planted to enhance the road’s appearance.
Officials expect the entire project, including the Thalian Interchange, to be completed by the end of April or early May, pending final approvals.
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