l Rs19bn project includes two flyovers and three underpasses
l Originally planned for 18 months, the project completed in around seven months

RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is set to inaugurate Kutchery Chowk flyover on Sunday (today).

This was disclosed by Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb while talking to Dawn on Saturday.

The project has been completed in seven-month time with a cost of Rs19bn.

Under the project, known as Kutchery Chowk Remodeling Project, two flyovers and three underpasses have been constructed simultaneously to manage more than 250,000 vehicles daily.

The Kutchery Chowk flyover and the underpass have been named Marka-e-Haq, while the Jinnah Park flyover and underpass have been named the Jinnah Underpass and Flyover. The third is named the Iftikhar Janjua Underpass.

A monument has also been constructed in Baggi Park at Kutchery Chowk in front of Fatima Jinnah Women University, which will also be inaugurated by the Punjab chief minister. The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) has been assigned the task of establishing the Marka-i-Haq Monument on The Mall.

Ms Aurangzeb said the Punjab chief minister had transformed Kutchery Chowk into a modern gateway for Rawalpindi through three underpasses and two flyovers, a project designed to ease movement for over 200,000 citizens commuting daily between Rawalpindi and Islamabad for jobs, education and access to the motorway bypass.

She said the project would improve access to Fatima Jinnah Women University and the Secretariat. She said the dedicated plantation along the corridor reflected the Punjab chief minister’s vision of people-centric, green and future ready urban development for the people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

“This is not just infrastructure development, it is a commitment to dignity, mobility, cleaner cities and economic growth for the people of both the cities,” she said, adding: “The Sunday’s inauguration, named after Marka-e-Haq, marks the beginning of a new era of confidence, resilience and development under the leadership of Maryam Nawaz Sharif.”

Meanwhile, the district administration has completed arrangements for the inauguration, while the Parks and Horticulture Agency has decorated roads with flowers and green belts. Though it was an 18-month project, the FWO completed it within seven months.

An official said work started in the last week of November and was completed by May 10. For quality assurance, the FWO and the Punjab Communication and Works Department had formed teams to check materials at all stages.

According to officials, a four-lane flyover has been constructed between The Mall and Rashid Minhas Road. The underpass is 26.5 feet wide and provides access from the old Airport Road to Saddar. The total traffic flow in this section is 197,000 vehicles per day. Moreover, the Annexy Chowk, or Jinnah Park, flyover and underpass are designed to manage 142,035 vehicles daily.

There is also an underpass from Kutchery Chowk to Mushtaq Baig Shaheed Road. A single-barrel, two-lane underpass has been constructed to manage 146,252 vehicles daily from Iftikhar Janjua Road to Kutchery Chowk. It is 18 feet high and 26.25 feet wide.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema told Dawn that all arrangements had been finalised for the inauguration, and roads would likely be opened for the traffic soon after the ceremony.

He said the provincial government was concerned about the problems faced by citizens after the closure of the main square of the city and wanted to see the project getting completed as soon as possible.

He said a pedestrian bridge had been constructed so people could cross the road without any difficulty. He said the district administration was also working to further improve roads in other parts of the garrison city.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2026