Rawalpindi: NESPAK has completed the feasibility study for Phase-II of the Rawalpindi Ring Road, identifying the first of three proposed options as the most suitable and least costly route.
Under this option, the M-2 motorway section from Thallian to Hakla Interchange on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route would be expanded from three lanes in each direction to five lanes in each direction. The proposed expansion would cover 15.3 kilometres at an estimated cost of PKR 9 billion.
The second option involves construction of an additional 19.5-kilometre route at an estimated cost of PKR18 billion, while the third proposes a 26.5-kilometre route on the western side of the motorway at an estimated cost of PKR 24 billion.
Meanwhile, work on the 38.3-kilometre first phase of the Rawalpindi Ring Road has largely been completed. The route extends from GT Road at Banth Mor to Thallian Interchange.
Four of the five interchanges, Banth, Chakbeli Khan, Adiala and Chakri, have been completed. Work on the fifth interchange at Thallian is still underway after the interchange was given broad-based status. However, the Ring Road has already been connected to the motorway.
The main carriageway has been completed, while construction of toll booths and installation of the tolling system are in progress. Once these works are completed, the project will be transferred from the Project Management Unit to the Punjab Ring Road Authority for operation.
The project has undergone several revisions to its completion schedule, with August 14 being the latest expected date for inauguration. The inauguration did not take place by that date as work on the tolling infrastructure remained incomplete.
Separately, the service area established along the Ring Road, which had attracted controversy, has been removed from the route.
With the Phase-II feasibility study now completed, the first option provides a proposed route for extending and improving connectivity between Thallian and Hakla, subject to the relevant approvals and implementation decisions.
Samra Zulfiqar, a real estate analyst at Zameen.com, is passionate about finding projects that offer buyers the best returns. Her keen insights spotlight the market’s most promising opportunities.
