RAWALPINDI: To connect the Chak Beli Khan interchange of the Rawalpindi Ring Road (R3) with the Grand Trunk Road, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has sought approval from the Punjab government for a dual carriageway project worth Rs2.123 billion.
A senior RDA official told Dawn that the authority planned to construct an 11-kilometre dual road from the Chak Beli Khan interchange to GT Road to facilitate commuters entering the Ring Road and reaching their destinations via this link.
He said the project had been prepared and work would begin once the provincial government approved it.
He said the Ring Road project would benefit the public only if the link roads were improved.
The 38.3km Ring Road has five interchanges at Baanth, Chak Beli Khan, Adiala Road, Chakri Road and Thalian, and work on these interchanges is in progress and will be completed soon.
He added that work on Adiala Road and Girja Road had already been approved and the Communication and Works Department would start work on these projects soon.
He said the Chak Beli Khan Road development scheme was prepared by RDA, which would take up the matter with the provincial Planning and Development Department.
He said the interchanges were being constructed near major populated areas and no housing society had been given direct access to the Rawalpindi Ring Road. However, he added that link roads would connect villages, towns and housing societies.
About the progress on the Ring Road, he said 76 per cent of work had been completed, while the revised PC-I, which reflects the escalated construction cost, was still pending with the Punjab Planning and Development Department and was likely to be taken up next month.
All freight transport currently moves through the urban centre using the N-5, causing congestion. Therefore, the Punjab government planned a ring road to divert heavy traffic away from urban limits.
The project starts from Baanth on GT Road and extends 38.8km to the Thallian Interchange on Motorway M-2.
Under the jurisdiction of the RDA, the Rawalpindi Ring Road project aims to improve transportation and connectivity within and around the city, offering benefits such as reduced travel time, better access to key areas, including the New Islamabad International Airport and economic development through new commercial zones. The ring road will also connect to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2025