Progress picks up on Kachehri Chowk flyover, connected underpass projects

Structural work continues at Jinnah Park, Iftikhar Janjua Road and other high-traffic locations

RAWALPINDI:

Construction work on the Kachehri Flyover and its associated underpasses is progressing at pace, with major activities including base-bed stabilisation, guide beams and piling nearing completion. Ensuring the timely completion of the project remains a key priority for the government.

A significant milestone has been achieved with the casting of the first deck slab on the 567-metre-long Iftikhar Janjua Underpass, making it the first fully roofed structure among the ongoing schemes. Guide beams at the site have now been completed in full, while 648 out of a total of 840 piles have been driven, with work continuing on the remainder.

At the heavily congested Kachehri Chowk, steady progress is being made on both the 878-metre flyover and the 530-metre underpass. All 101 piles for the flyover have been completed, four of the eleven pile caps have been cast, and reinforcement work on the pier shafts is continuing round the clock. The guide beams on both sides of the underpass have also been fully completed.

At Jinnah Park, all 24 piles and five pile caps for the 531-metre flyover have been completed, while steel fixing for the piers is underway at full speed. Approximately 70 metres of the 258-metre retaining wall have been constructed, and most of the bed preparation and lean concrete work has been completed.

Meanwhile, work on the adjoining 480-metre Jinnah Park Underpass has advanced significantly, with 300 metres of guide beams completed, 391 out of 446 piles driven, 140 metres of capping beam constructed, and 120 metres of NJ barrier steel fixing carried out.

The project aims to link the Islamabad Expressway with GT Road and Peshawar Road via the old Airport Road, creating a fully signal-free corridor.

Rana Qamar Ali, Executive Engineer (EXEN) of the Punjab Highways Department, said that the completion of the first full deck slab and more than 70 per cent of the girders on the longest flyover has brought the project into a high-gear phase. "This will transform traffic flow in Rawalpindi in the coming months," he said.

These projects form part of a major urban infrastructure initiative by the Punjab government under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, aimed at addressing the city's most severe traffic bottlenecks.

Once completed, they are expected to eliminate chronic congestion at Kachehri Chowk, Iftikhar Janjua Road and the Jinnah Park crossover, reduce travel times and provide smoother, congestion-free routes. The mega project covers work at five key junctions, including the main Kachehri Chowk, Iftikhar Janjua Road, Jinnah Park, Qasim Market on Peshawar Road, and the remodelling of Ammar Chowk.

Approved by the Provincial Development Working Party, the combined cost of the projects exceeds Rs13.334 billion.