RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Ring Road Project Management Unit (PMU) has revised the cost of the project, raising it from Rs33 billion to Rs45 billion after completing 72 per cent of the work.
According to a newspaper report, the revised PC-I was prepared in consultation with Nespak and includes the addition of a new interchange at Thalian, construction of toll plazas, and higher construction material prices.
Officials said the revised PC-I will be sent to the Punjab government through the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) for approval.
A senior divisional administration officer told the newspaper that toll plazas at Banth and Thalian, along with smaller ones at interchanges, were new additions.
He said the Thalian interchange will connect the Ring Road with the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway. Earlier, this work was to be carried out by the National Highway Authority, but the PMU obtained a no-objection certificate to execute it directly.
Officials pointed out that construction material costs had risen by 30 to 40 per cent compared to last year, and now the overall increase has reached nearly 50 per cent in two years. They said this escalation, along with design changes, had added around Rs12 billion to the project cost.
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Deputy Project Director Ashfaq Sulheri confirmed that the revised PC-I would be sent to Lahore in the coming week. He said ECNEC had approved a revision earlier this year but did not allow price escalation at that time. “Now, with further increases, a new revision was necessary,” he explained.
Mr Sulheri added that the Punjab government has directed the PMU to speed up work to recover delays caused by the monsoon. Construction is now being carried out in three shifts. The Soan Bridge has been completed, asphalt work has begun, and work on the railway bridge and interchanges is under way.
The Rawalpindi Ring Road will be 38.3 km long, with five interchanges at Banth, Chak Baili Khan, Adiala Road, Chakri Road, and Thalian. The six-lane controlled-access road will have a design speed of 120 km/h, and an industrial zone is also planned along the route.
