RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Communication and Works Department will start work on three underpasses on Peshawar Road worth Rs8 billion in January to complete the signal-free corridor from Ammar Chowk to the Motorway Chowk.

The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) has been awarded the contract on government-to-government work basis. FWO is already working on Kutchery Chowk remodeling.

A senior official of the Communication and Works Department told Dawn that work on the underpasses at Race Course Park Square, Army Graveyard Square and Chairing Cross will start in January and traffic police had been asked to prepare a diversion plan by the end of December.

He said work orders to the FWO will be issued in December, adding the project was likely to complete within three months.

Official says these underpasses are part of signal-free corridor project launched by Punjab govt at a cost of Rs30bn

“A total of 250,736 vehicles use this section of Peshawar Road on a daily basis and the underpasses will help traffic pass these squares without any hurdles. Usually traffic rush is seen on these three sections of the main road,” he said.

He said that tenders for the shifting of 132kv pylons on the section of the road would be issued by December 9.

He said that the basic issue was managing traffic as work on Kutchery Chowk was already underway. He said the provincial government had given the go-ahead signal to start the work.

When contacted, Punjab Highway Department Executive Engineer Rana Qamar Saqib confirmed that work on the three underpasses would start in January for which all homework had been completed.

“It is part of the signal-free corridor project launched by the Punjab government at a cost of Rs30 billion. Over Rs14 billion is being spent on Kutchery Chowk and Rs8 billion will be spent on the three underpasses. Moreover, Rs.6 billion had been spent on GPO Chowk underpasses,” he said.

He said that there was also a plan to construct a flyover at Ammar Chowk at a cost of Rs3.450 billion and work on its PC-I was under progress.

He said after the remodeling of Kutchery Chowk and three underpasses, the travel time from the district courts to the Motorway Chowk will reduce to 15 to 20 minutes.

He said from Rawat to Kutchery Chowk, the roads have already been rehabilitated and motorists reach the district courts from T-Chowk without any traffic rush.

He said after completion of the project the issue of traffic gridlocks would be resolved and it would also help the government run electric buses for commuters.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2025