Ring Road cost jumps to Rs53b

New Thalian interchange launched, plantation and lighting works underway

RAWALPINDI:

The estimated cost of the 38-kilometre Rawalpindi Ring Road project has increased by a further Rs6 billion, pushing the total beyond Rs53 billion.

The Punjab Planning and Development Board is expected to approve the revised cost in the first week of February.

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and the Project Management Unit have submitted replies and justifications to the board's objections regarding the cost increase.

Carpeting work on the ring road is 80 per cent complete, and vehicles have started using portions of the road. Construction of a new interchange at Thalian, costing Rs5 billion, has also begun. This interchange will link the ring road with the motorway.

The Rawalpindi Ring Road was approved in 2004 by then chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as a state-of-the-art project, with an estimated cost of Rs17 billion. The cost has now risen to Rs53 billion and is expected to exceed Rs55 billion by completion.

Plantation has started on both sides of the ring road, with 8 to 10-foot-tall shade and fruit-bearing saplings being planted for beautification. Installation of modern signboards has also begun.

Construction of all small and large bridges on the ring road, including the railway bridge, has been completed. Around 80 per cent of carpeting work on the GT Road stretch from Banth to Thalian has been completed, and traffic has started using this section.

The ring road is 38.3 kilometres long and has five interchanges, including Banth, Chak Beli Khan, Adiala Road, Chakri Road, and Thalian. Service roads are being constructed on both sides, and the road consists of six lanes.

A total of 8,992 kanals of land has been acquired from the private sector for the project. Computerised LED lights will be installed, and 300,000 plants and trees will be planted across the entire project.

Industrial zones have been planned on both sides of the road, while commercial areas have been declared, allowing construction of plazas and buildings up to 10 storeys. The formal inauguration of the ring road is expected in the first week of May.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Aamir Khattak has issued directives to complete carpeting, activate bridges, and finalise beautification work by April 30.