Introduction and Background
Since 1997, the Rawalpindi Development Authority has planned to construct a ring road. Now, the time has arrived for the execution of the project. Rawalpindi Ring Road is a highway designed to run across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and Ring Road was planned to be developed with a long-term vision.
Rawalpindi Ring Road will cost Rs 23.606 billion to acquire the concurrence of the Planning Commission and the inclusion of axle load management in the project. The project will be financed by the Punjab Annual Development Program (ADP), and the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) will execute it.
Ring Road Rawalpindi is planned to be a 65.3 km long road with three lanes on each side (width 110 m). This Ring Road starts from Rawat and ends at N-5 Sangjani. It has eight planned interchanges with four service stations, two on each side. It will easily facilitate connectivity and reduce traffic crowds on the N-5 national highway.
Rawalpindi Ring Road Latest News
The development work of this Ring Road is in the process with 5 interchanges at Thalian, Chakri Road, Adiala Road, Chak Beli, and Banth. There will be industrial zones on the Ring Road Rawalpindi to boost the economic growth in the twin cities. The local business community, alongside Ring Road, will get the ultimate benefits of this newly constructed road.
Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaqat Ali Chatha announced that construction work of Ring Road in Rawalpindi will be completed within 1 year. The Commissioner also appreciated the efforts of RDA to facilitate the citizens of twin cities.
Rawalpindi Ring Road Development Update
There is prominent progress because the government authority has acquired the required land for Rawalpindi Ring Road Phase 1. Moreover, the government has also provided the initial funds to the RDA in collaboration with Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and CDA.Botek Corporation is a consulting company that designed and planned the layout for this project. The landmarking procedure for this road is in the final phase. Moreover, FWO has camps in different locations with containers in Rudn Enclave Rawalpindi.
Rawalpindi Ring Road Layout Plan
Ring Road is designed in a way that can facilitate many areas. It starts from Rawat Rawalpindi & connects Adyala Road near Radio Pakistan. It continues to Bahria Town Phase 8 backside. After that, it goes all the way to the Sangjani interchange. It also crosses through the Islamabad-Lahore and the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorways.
Ring Road Rawalpindi will enable quick and easy access to the Motorways. Ring Road is planned to have approximately eight interchanges. Ring Road is planned to have approximately eight interchanges.
Rawalpindi Ring Road interchanges include:
- National Highway 5 (NH5)
- Chakbeli
- Adyala
- Chakri
- M-2 Murat (at M-2 Motorway)
- Airport
- Hakla – D.I. Khan
- N-5 Sangjani
Housing Societies that will benefit from Rawalpindi Ring Road
It is known that any housing society or property located in the vicinity of the ring road has high demand and prices. Meanwhile, many residential societies are under construction in the surroundings of the ring road. Therefore, with the approval and development of the Ring Road Rawalpindi, their prices and demand will escalate.
Moreover, Ring Road will enable residents of major housing societies to drive directly to their societies using the Ring Road route after entering Islamabad via the motorway. For instance, DHA Islamabad and Bahria Town.
Here are some more major housing societies that will benefit from the Rawalpindi Ring Road:
| Housing Society | Interchange |
| Rudn Enclave Rawalpindi | Interchange 3- Adyala |
| Gulberg Islamabad | Interchange 1- N-5 Radio Pakistan |
| Capital Smart City | Interchange 4- Chakri road |
| Bahria Phase VIII Ext | Interchange 3- Adyala |
| Kingdom Valley | – |
| Blue World City | Interchange 4- Chakri road |
Two Major Components of Rawalpindi Ring Road
Component A
Component A deals with the infrastructure of the main road, ancillary works, and consulting services. The whole road will stretch across 58.8km, including the main ring road & link roads. However, the ancillary works include installation of traffic surveillance, construction of operation and maintenance camps facilities, roadside service facilities, and communication systems.
Component B
This component includes institutional strengthening and technical support. Under this component, institutional strengthening assistance will be provided based on the evaluation of the government systems and institutional project arrangements.
Major Phases Of Rawalpindi Ring Road
The project has had different phases since its announcement in 2008. All these phases are discussed below.
Rawalpindi Ring Road Phase 1
In 2008, a new feasibility study was done by the Parvez Elahi government in Punjab. It was planned to construct the ring road from Channi Sher Alam to Fateh Jhang next to the New Islamabad Airport.
The proposed length of this road was 75km, and the total amount of the whole project was estimated to be Rs 74 billion. However, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) made some changes to the map and reduced the total length to almost 54km.
Rawalpindi Ring Road Phase 2
In this phase (2010), the project was estimated to cost Rs 60 billion. Its total length was proposed to be 70km. However, the authorities explored some ways to cut down the project’s total cost. One way that was proposed to reduce the total cost of the project was by reducing the length or width of the road.
The public representatives complained that cutting down the length of the road might deprive their area and residents. After discussing all these issues, it was decided to decrease the width from 800ft to 400ft.
Rawalpindi Ring Road Phase 3 (Current Phase)
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in December 2021 approved the Rawalpindi Ring Road project. According to the meeting of (ECNEC) chaired by the Advisor to Finance and Revenue, the project was approved, including the construction of the main carriageway from Baanth (N-5) to Thallian (M-2).
The total cost is estimated to be Rs 23.6 billion on the condition that the Planning Commission’s consent will be taken and the Axle Load Management regime will be included in the project.
The total length of the Rawalpindi Ring Road approved under the current government is 38.3 km. The ring road will be constructed having six lanes. The ring road route will start from National Highway (N-5) at Baanth (Rawalpindi district) and will cross via Chakbeli Road, Adyala Road, Chakri Road, and end at Motorway M-2 at Thallian Interchange.
Hurdles in the Current Phase of Ring Road Rawalpindi
Some allegations have recently been revealed that the revision of the Ring Road plan under the current government was made only to benefit some individuals and private entities. The changes in the alignment increased the project cost to Rs25 billion. According to Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) investigations, it was revealed that more than Rs130 billion were obtained in property deals since the project was started in 2017.
The authorities have reported that builders and property tycoons have received about 64,000 Kanal of land inside the constraints of the Rawalpindi/ Attock Circle, Paswal Zigzag, GT Road, and Islamabad Margalla Avenue.
According to the investigators, the new road links that have been made on the map of Rawalpindi Ring Road benefit many politically associated people. The politicians involved in these ill practices belong to almost all of the major political parties in Pakistan. Almost 14,601 Kanal have been procured by these politicians near Ring Road Rawalpindi.
Benefits of Rawalpindi Ring Road
As known, governments plan and develop every project for the benefit of the public. Therefore, the Government of Punjab has designed Rawalpindi Ring Road keeping in mind its different benefits, and they are explained below:
Connectivity
Ring Road Rawalpindi will be the main connectivity source of the twin cities. The master plan will connect various integral points of the city. The Radio Pakistan interchange of the ring road is located a few minutes away from Rawalpindi Saddar. So, it will allow the residents of this area to drive between the twin cities more easily than ever before.
Another significant benefit of the ring road is the easy accessibility of the New Islamabad International Airport. Moreover, places such as DHA, Bahria Town, and Rawat can also easily access the airport.
Economic Corridor
Rawalpindi Ring Road will also play the role of an economic corridor in the country’s economy. It will reduce the traffic burden over the N-5 national highway, and the trucks loaded for trade activities can quickly reach their destinations. By becoming an economic corridor, the ring road will help faster transportation and save energy, time, and cost.
Urbanization
Rawalpindi Ring Road will lead to the urbanization of the city. The master plan will link different rural and less developed areas of the city and urbanize these areas to flourish to their full potential, like the areas surrounding the Motorway, Chakri side, Sangjani, and some areas of Rawat. The Ring Road Rawalpindi will also help boost the upcoming and under-construction residential projects in the twin cities.
Final Words
Rawalpindi Ring Road has boosted the value of properties by ensuring the easiest access. You can book your property in housing societies like Avalon City Islamabad and Faisal Town Phase 2, which are close to this ring road.
