Rawalpindi Ring Road Misses Sixth Completion Deadline

The Rawalpindi Ring Road has once again missed its sixth completion deadline, with authorities still awaiting the official opening of the project despite August 14 serving as the most recent target date. While workers have managed to complete the main construction along the 38.3-kilometer route from GT Road’s Banth Mor to Thallian Interchange, the road remains inoperative until the toll booths and tolling system are installed.

The Project Management Unit is set to transfer the completed project to the Punjab Ring Road Authority once the remaining tolling work is finished. So far, four of the five interchanges along the route—located at Banth, Chakbeli Khan, Adiala, and Chakri—have been constructed. However, the Thallian Interchange remains incomplete and has been given broad-based interchange status.

Despite this, authorities have already connected the Ring Road to the motorway. The project's total cost has reached Rs. 47 billion, with a cost of Rs. 1.22 billion per kilometer. The latest delay has been attributed to the incomplete tolling infrastructure. Once the toll booths and tolling system are installed, the Ring Road will be made operational by the Punjab Ring Road Authority.

Meanwhile, authorities have removed a controversial service area that had been established along the Ring Road.