Rawalpindi Ring Road Phase I 75% Complete; Phase II Feasibility Launched

Rawalpindi: Phase I of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project is nearing completion, while the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has begun work on the feasibility study for Phase II, officials confirmed on Monday.

The RDA has hired a joint venture between National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) and ACE Private Limited to carry out the study at a cost of Rs 52 million. The consultants will review the proposed alignment from Thalian to Sangjani, which aims to link the Ring Road with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the G.T. Road.

According to RDA Director General Kinza Murtaza, the feasibility study will be completed within four months, after which the Punjab government plans to launch Phase II. Construction work for the second phase is anticipated to begin in the upcoming fiscal year.

A senior official from the divisional administration said the project’s initial route in 2021 covered 66 kilometers from Baanth to Sangjani but was revised in 2022 to a 38-kilometer stretch from Baanth to Thalian for Phase I. Phase II will restore the remaining segment, forming a seamless corridor.

The official further said an economic zone is also planned along the new alignment, with 500 meters of land on both sides to be acquired to relocate major markets and transport terminals outside the city.

Phase I is more than 75 percent complete and is expected to be finalized by March next year, helping ease Rawalpindi’s increasing traffic burden and paving the way for enhanced regional mobility.