Officials at the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) have insisted that the Rawalpindi Ring Road will be opened by the end of this month, meeting the deadline of June 30, despite the fact that some 10 percent of the work is reportedly still incomplete. Discussions with RDA officials involved in the project have revealed that the authority is all set to hold the inaugural ceremony before June 30 for this road infrastructure project costing nearly Rs50 billion.
Project Overview
The 38.3-kilometre-long road is expected to bring much-needed relief from traffic congestion in the garrison city. The work on an eight-kilometre stretch of the road is currently underway, as side work for drainage and right of way has yet to be completed. Officials also stated that work on roadside safety features remains incomplete.
Route and Interchanges
The Ring Road begins at Baanth village on GT Road near Rawat and ends at Thalian, merging with the motorway. The road bypasses the city and features five interchanges: Baanth at GT Road, Maira Mohra at Chakbeli Road, Khasala at Adiala Road, Kolian Parr at Chakri Road, and Thalian at Motorway.
Industrial Zone and Land Acquisition
An industrial zone is planned along the Ring Road, and the process of land acquisition is underway. So far, a total of 8,992 kanals of land has been acquired at a cost of Rs6.7 billion for the project. RDA is the executing agency, while Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) is the contractor for this major road project.
Design and Specifications
The road will operate at a design speed of 120 km/h, with six-lane controlled access and a 90-metre right of way. The infrastructure includes two bridges over rivers, 12 bridges over nullahs, one railway bridge near Baanth, and 11 overpasses.
Historical Background
The foundation stone for the road was laid in March 2022 by then Prime Minister Imran Khan. His government first proposed a 68 km Ring Road, but later a new alignment of 38.3 km was approved. However, delays due to changes in political setup, land acquisition issues, and redesigns resulted in construction work beginning only in September 2023.
The project was originally proposed in 1991 under the government of Nawaz Sharif, but due to political turmoil, it never materialized. During Shehbaz Sharif's visit to China in 2010 as Chief Minister of Punjab, the project was discussed between Pakistani and Chinese authorities to secure funding. In 2017, the project was again briefed to the Asian Development Bank to secure funding.
