RAWALPINDI: The much-publicised Rawalpindi Ring Road project worth Rs32.9 billion is expected to miss its completion deadline of December 2025, with its cost likely to rise further by 40 to 50 per cent, according to a senior official of the divisional administration.
The official told the newspaper that over 70 per cent of the work had been completed, but construction had slowed during the last month. He added that the pace of work was expected to pick up again after the monsoon season.
He explained that a revised PC-I was being prepared due to sharp increases in the prices of construction material and transport charges over the past two years. The revised plan will be sent to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and later to Ecnec for final approval.
The official said the ongoing monsoon rains had badly affected construction work, with at least seven spells of rainfall disrupting progress. He added that another reason for the delay was the pending decision on merging traffic from Thalian to the motorway.
While the National Highway Authority (NHA) planned to expand the motorway with two additional lanes, the project was still stuck at the planning stage. To address the issue, the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) suggested building a one-kilometre-long merger road from its own funds until the NHA completes its expansion.
Project cost escalation;
The official confirmed to the newspaper that FWO had demanded a cost increase of over 50 per cent. This would be the second cost hike, as the project’s initial cost of Rs26 billion was raised earlier this year to Rs32.9 billion after Ecnec’s approval. The revised total cost now stands at Rs39 billion, which includes Rs6 billion for land acquisition.
He added that the project consultant, Nespak, had been directed to update the revised PC-I to reflect the increased material costs.
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Deputy Project Director Ashfaq Sulheri also confirmed to the newspaper that the project deadline would be extended. He said Commissioner Rawalpindi Division, who is also the project director, had recently visited the site and directed the contractor to speed up work. “The pace will improve after the monsoon,” he added.
Mr Sulheri said the government may approve a 44 per cent increase in cost instead of the 50 per cent demanded by FWO. On the Thalian traffic merger, he said the NHA had issued a no-objection certificate for the construction of a one-kilometre link road along the motorway, while the authority will later add two more lanes.
The official further said that the 38.3-kilometre-long Ring Road includes five interchanges at Baanth, Chak Beli Khan, Adiala Road, Chakri Road, and Thalian, where construction work is under progress and expected to be completed soon.
Earlier July 2025 developments;
In July, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated the General Post Office (GPO) underpass on the Mall and the Nawaz Sharif Flyover on Adiala Road.
The Nawaz Sharif Flyover project started in January with an initial cost of Rs2.1 billion, which later escalated to Rs3.6 billion, while the GPO underpass was launched in February for Rs4.6 billion.
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During a briefing, the chief minister was informed that 67 road projects covering 607 kilometres had been launched in Rawalpindi, out of which 51 had been completed.
The newly inaugurated flyover, starting from Kutchery Chowk, will benefit traffic from GT Road, Ring Road, and the Chakri Interchange. A two-kilometre service road was also built around it.
She was told that the GPO underpass includes the latest intelligent signal system for the first time in Rawalpindi. The nearly two-kilometre-long underpass will provide access to the National Highway N-5 via Kashmir Road and facilitate millions of patients visiting CMH, MH and AFIC hospitals.
At the inauguration, Ms Nawaz also announced clean drinking water projects for South Punjab and Potohar, besides promising an early solution to Murree’s water supply problem. She hinted at a plan to build an expressway along Leh Nullah in Rawalpindi.
She said the Nawaz Sharif Flyover would reduce travel time from Rawalpindi to Chakri by one hour. “People acknowledge that roads are being built in record time, it seems as if giants are working. Roads which had not been built for the last 30 years have been built now,” she remarked.
The CM said the Punjab government had constructed and repaired 12,000 km of roads, with another 19,000 km to be rehabilitated soon. She also mentioned that all schools in Rawalpindi were being revamped, while over 1,250 health centres had been upgraded into mini hospitals.
She congratulated officials for ensuring timely completion of the two projects and added, “This project, which will facilitate two lakh vehicles daily, has been made state-of-the-art.”
