‘Ring Road to be a game changer for Rawalpindi’

Rawalpindi: Commissioner Rawalpindi Captain (r) Saqib Zafar has said Punjab government wants progress on Ring Road project to ease traffic in central parts of the city and the administration would award a contract next week to a firm to prepare design and feasibility report within shortest possible time frame.

Talking to this agency, the commissioner said that the Ring Road would be a game changer project for Rawalpindi city. He said, consultancy firm has almost been finalised and the agreement would be signed within few days.

The firm would take nearly four months to complete the design and feasibility report of the project, he said. To a question, he said that future of the city was associated with the project.

He said, “We want to establish industrial zones, education city, health city, commercial areas and housing projects along the Ring Road to avoid congestion in the city areas. The wholesale markets will also be shifted there from the city areas. This project is important for Rawalpindi as it will help ease the heavy traffic. It will be named decongestion of Rawalpindi city project.”

Rawalpindi is the main city connecting the northern areas to the country’s main road network, he said. Saqib Zafar said that the Punjab government wanted to launch the project as soon as possible to boost business activities in the area and end traffic congestion problem on the city roads.

He expressed the hope that the Ring Road project would be completed by mid 2022.The road will be 35 to 40 km-long. The alignment of this road will start from Channi Sher Alam Bridge on GT Road and end at Thalian interchange on M-2 motorway between Rawalpindi and Lahore near the new Islamabad International Airport along with link roads from Rawat and Tarnol.

Four intersections will also be constructed. The project will help alleviate congestion in central areas of Rawalpindi and will make space and reduce travel time within the twin cities.

It will also help the growth of the city towards the southwest side in a planned manner. The project would help improve economic connectivity and road transport efficiency for the twin cities, Islamabad and Rawalpindi areas.

To another question he said, We are very close to award a contract to a firm to prepare design and feasibility report of Nullah Lai project. “We have opened the bids submitted by the consultants. Out of nine firms, six bids were submitted for the Nullah Leh project which had been opened during first week of September and currently under evaluation process,” he informed.

He expressed the hope that the consultancy for Nullah Leh project would also be handed over to a firm during next 10 days. Nullah Leh would be a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode project, he added.

According to a district administration spokesman, the company which will be awarded the Ring Road consultancy contract will be asked to create a detailed design of the project, geometric and structural design and the resettlement plan for those affected by the project. The process for acquiring land for the project will start once the consultant firm submits its report to the executing authority, he added.