The opening of Rawalpindi Ring Road to traffic will face another month’s delay as crews continue work on toll plazas and weighing stations.
A senior district administration official said the provincial government would announce an inauguration date after workers complete the remaining facilities. The road has cost Rs. 50.4 billion.
However, the official indicated that the pending work could take a month or longer.
Authorities plan to install eight weighing stations to measure the weight of heavy trucks and calculate toll charges. The official said the road would open to heavy and light traffic after these facilities become operational.
Meanwhile, workers continue to build toll plaza booths at Baanth and Thalian. Procurement of the weighing machines also remains incomplete.
The official estimated that construction of the weighing stations would take two to three weeks. Teams would then begin installing the weighing machines.
After that, the Punjab Ring Road Authority would need another two weeks to install the Intelligent Transportation System and Electronic Toll Collection system. Sensors would weigh trucks and determine their toll charges.
Alongside these facilities, authorities are establishing offices for the Punjab Ring Road Authority and building residential accommodation for officials.
The official said work on the Thalian interchange would begin after authorities open the Ring Road to traffic. He expected the interchange work to finish by December.
The road has a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour. It features six lanes, controlled access, five interchanges and a 90-metre right of way.
Its infrastructure also includes two bridges across the Soan and Sill rivers. Another 12 bridges cross various nullahs and roads. In addition, the route includes a railway bridge near Baanth and 11 overpasses.
During the PTI government’s tenure, planners proposed a 68-kilometer Ring Road. However, a financial scandal halted work, and authorities subsequently approved a revised 38.3-kilometre alignment.
Then-prime minister Imran Khan laid the project’s foundation stone in March 2022.
Later, the Pakistan Democratic Movement government, led by Shehbaz Sharif, temporarily suspended the project. It subsequently authorized work following a third-party validation of the revised 38.3-kilometer route from Baanth to Thalian.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif then laid the foundation stone at Rawat on August 8, 2023.
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