Rawalpindi Ring Road Opening Delayed by Another Month
The Rawalpindi Ring Road is long overdue for drivers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Now they’ll wait a bit longer. The road will remain closed for another month as crews finish work on toll plazas and weighing stations, officials say. As reported by the Express Tribune, it is the sixth postponement.
Why Is the Rawalpindi Ring Road Opening Delayed?
The main road is complete. The delay is due to the systems on which it operates. The construction of the toll plaza booths at Baanth and Thalian continues. They also are building eight weighing stations. These stations will weigh heavy trucks and determine the costs for toll. The officials had earlier announced that the road will open in the first or second week of November. The road has already failed targets in December 2025, and thereafter in March, May, June and August 2026. Works are pending which may take a month or more, said one official.
What Work Is Still Pending?
Builders must finish the weighing stations first. The Punjab Ring Road Authority (PRRA) would then take another couple of weeks to set up the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) and the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system. The other sensor will then weigh trucks and determine tolls for them. The road will be opened once these facilities are working with heavy and light traffic, an official said.
What to do with the Thalian Interchange?
Work on the Thalian interchange will begin after the road opens to traffic. The official says it should be completed by December. There will be some construction work in the vicinity of the Thalian end even after opening day.
Rawalpindi Ring Road Key Facts
The road is 38.3 kilometres long from Baanth on GT Road to Thalian on the M-2 Motorway. It is a multi-lane with a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour. There are 12 bridges across nullahs and roads on the route. The cost of the project is Rs. 50.4 billion so far.
Conclusion
The Rawalpindi Ring Road is nearing completion, having been held up by toll systems. Officials have now settled on December as the target for the completion of the Thalian interchange. The timeline was often missed, so please consider this an approximation and not a commitment. Please check official updates before travelling along the new road.
