R AWALPINDI: The Punjab Highway Department has prepared a PC-I and design for an underpass in front of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) on The Mall at an estimated cost of Rs3 billion and is awaiting formal approval from the Punjab government.
A senior district administration official told Dawn that the Punjab government wanted to make the road from Koral Chowk to Motorway Chowk signal-free so that commuters could travel from Islamabad Expressway to Motorway Chowk within 20 minutes. In this regard, the paperwork had been completed.
He said three government departments were working on the signal-free corridor project from Koral Chowk to Motorway Chowk.
‘The National Highway Authority is working to rehabilitate the road from Motorway Chowk to Chur Chowk, while the Punjab Highway Department is constructing two underpasses at Charing Cross and Race Course Park. It will soon start work on the underpass on The Mall in front of AFIC, while the Rawalpindi Development Authority will soon begin rehabilitating the OldAirport Road from Koral Chowk to Ammar Chowk,’ he said.
He said the remodelling of Kutchery Chowk and construction of the GPO underpass had already been completed.
With the completion of the ongoing and planned work, the signal-free corridor would be ready by June 2027.
He said the AFIC underpass could be completed within two to three months if the provincial government gave the go-ahead next month.
‘The total length of the signal-free corridor is 25 kilometres, and it aims to reduce travel time from Islamabad Expressway to Motorway Chowk on Peshawar Road to 15 to 20 minutes,’ he said.
The work on the General Post Office Chowk was completed last year, while the Kutchery Chowk remodelling project was completed in May. The two underpasses on Peshawar Road at Race Course Park and Charing Cross are expected to be completed in December.
‘The construction of the two underpasses at Charing Cross and Race Course Park is 75pc complete and is expected to be finished by the end of December. Work on the AFIC underpass is likely to start soon after that, he said.
He further stated that the Race Course underpass would have twolanes for northbound traffic, along with three-level road lanes to facilitate traffic movement and turning.
Similarly, the Charing Cross underpass was being constructed to accommodate southbound traffic and would have two underpass lanes alongside two-level road lanes. Rehabilitation and expansion of the road section from Bungalow No. 276 to Raffay Mall on Peshawar Road were also underway.
Utility services were being shifted underground to minimise roadside obstructions and ensure smoother traffic flow.
The official said the RDA would soon launch the Old Airport Road rehabilitation project, under which the road would be reconstructed, utility lines improved and joint pickets rebuilt.
Regarding the proposed underpass at Ammar Chowk, he said there was a plan for the project, but it would be taken up after completion of work on the Old Airport Road and AFIC underpass.
He said it had also been decided that beautification work and green belts would be developed on the pattern of Kutchery Chowk and GPO underpasses, giving the entire stretch from Koral Chowk to Motorway Chowk a uniform appearance reflecting the culture of the Potohar region.