RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Communication and Works Department has started initial work for the construction of flyovers and underpasses at Kutchery Chowk and Jinnah Park, along with building retaining walls at Fatima Jinnah Women University and Jinnah Park.
The two flyovers and one underpass will cost around Rs6.6 billion. The Jinnah Park project, which includes an underpass and flyover, will cost Rs5.2 billion, while the underpass at Iftikhar Janjua Chowk is estimated at Rs2.7 billion.
Although the main construction is expected to begin in the first week of November after approval from garrison authorities, the provincial highway department has started preparing the sites. Work is underway to build retaining walls and service roads and to shift utility lines.
According to officials, about four kanal and five marla of land will be used for the Iftikhar Janjua underpass, mostly military land. Around eight kanal and two marla will be used for the Kutchery Chowk project, and about five kanal and 19 marla for the Jinnah Park underpass.
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A senior Punjab Highways official said the department and City Traffic Police are finalising a traffic diversion plan. The department has also begun widening nearby roads and demolishing old boundary walls at Jinnah Park and Fatima Jinnah Women University.
The official shared that a traffic survey showed over 131,500 vehicles pass through Kutchery Chowk daily, mainly from the old Airport Road and Jhelum Road. He added that the department aims to complete wall construction and service road work by November 1. Once approved by authorities, the construction contract with the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) will begin.
He said the contractor plans to close the main intersection during the project due to complex engineering work, and traffic management will be crucial. Land acquisition under Section 4 is in progress, with most land belonging to the government and only a small portion privately owned.
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The contractor has also started verifying engineering drawings and site surveys, while pile testing has been completed.
The official added that three more underpasses—at Race Course Park, Army Graveyard Square, and Chairing Cross on Peshawar Road—are planned for the fiscal year 2025–26. Once completed, the main road from Ammar Chowk to the motorway will become signal-free.
Punjab Highway Department Executive Engineer Rana Qamar confirmed that work on walls, service roads, and drainage at Jinnah Park and Fatima Jinnah Women University has already begun. He said that main construction work is set to start next month.
