Kahuta Road project crawls on meagre funding

RAWALPINDI:

More than three months into the 2026-27 fiscal year, work has yet to formally begin on the Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road project, including the Sihala railway crossing overpass and Kahuta Bypass, despite its inclusion in the federal development budget. Only Rs1 billion has been allocated for the mega infrastructure project this fiscal year, raising concerns that its long-delayed completion will be pushed back by several more years.

The project's total estimated cost was listed at Rs23.845 billion in the 2025-26 budget. However, only around one kilometre of the planned 28.4-kilometre dual-carriageway has been completed so far.

According to details, the Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road is a strategically important route linking the garrison city with two routes to Azad Kashmir. The project includes the construction of a dual-carriageway from Soan to Kahuta, a four-lane overpass at the Sihala railway crossing, the Sihala Bypass and the Kahuta Bypass.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project on July 27, 2023. Despite its approval, progress has remained slow. During the previous fiscal year, only about one kilometre of dual-carriageway was completed between Kahuta and Hothla Stop. A partially developed route for the Kahuta Bypass was also prepared before work was suspended.

The project has again been included in the 2026-27 federal budget under the National Highway Authority's ongoing schemes, with a revised total cost of approximately Rs23.545 billion.

Budget documents estimated expenditure on the project at Rs6.587 billion by June 30, 2026, while Rs16.958 billion was carried forward into the new fiscal year as the remaining cost to be financed. However, the allocation for 2026-27 stands at just Rs1 billion.

The limited funding is expected to prevent the project from being completed this year, extending delays that have already persisted for several years.