ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said Islamabad’s Kashmir Chowk underpass will open to traffic within the next 10 days, as construction entered its 12th day with crews working around the clock.
Speaking to reporters at the site on Wednesday, Naqvi said the Capital Development Authority, contractors and other teams were pushing to complete the project as quickly as possible.
“Today is the 12th day since work on the Kashmir Underpass began. The progress is visible, and we will try to open it to traffic within the next 10 days,” he said.
The minister said construction had continued without stopping traffic or imposing major diversions, though commuters may have faced some inconvenience. He credited coordination between the CDA and the traffic police for keeping vehicles moving through the work zone, ProPakistani reported.
Kashmir Chowk underpass to ease the Murree route
The underpass is designed to ease congestion at Kashmir Chowk for vehicles travelling from different parts of the country towards Murree. Naqvi said the route beyond the junction was already clear, which would help maintain smoother traffic flow once the underpass opens.
He said the authorities would open the underpass as soon as construction finished, and that he would request Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to attend the inauguration. Naqvi added that he hoped the project would rank among Pakistan’s fastest-completed infrastructure schemes.
Kashmir Chowk underpass: the numbers behind the project
The project carries a price tag of Rs1.4 billion, finalised after cost optimisation brought it down from an initial estimate of Rs1.6 billion. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid the foundation stone on Oct 6, with a target of completing the underpass in a record one month.
The scale of the problem is clear from the CDA’s own figures: the Kashmir Chowk junction currently handles about 107,000 vehicles a day, producing frequent congestion, delays and traffic conflicts, particularly during peak hours and VIP movements. The project also includes four slip roads to distribute traffic around the busy intersection.
The pace is ambitious but not without precedent in the capital’s recent building spree. Peshawar’s Hayatabad underpass was completed and opened in 90 days, and Islamabad itself has delivered a string of fast-tracked schemes, including the F-8 and Serena interchanges. The underpass forms part of a wider infrastructure push that also covers the NHA’s four public-private partnership road projects.
Commuters in the area have already lived through disruption. Earlier this month, traffic police closed the Rawal Dam Chowk to Kashmir Chowk road while work continued, a reminder that the 10-day opening target will be judged against the daily experience of drivers on the route.
When will the Kashmir Chowk underpass open?
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday that the underpass should open to traffic within the next 10 days, as construction entered its 12th day.
How much does the Kashmir Chowk underpass cost?
The project was finalised at Rs1.4 billion, reduced from an initial estimate of Rs1.6 billion through cost optimisation, according to the CDA.
Why is the underpass being built?
The Kashmir Chowk junction handles about 107,000 vehicles a day, causing frequent congestion and delays, especially during peak hours. The underpass will carry traffic from the Serena side towards Rawalpindi, while Murree-bound traffic uses the upper section.
Who will inaugurate the underpass?
Naqvi said he would request Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who laid the foundation stone on Oct 6, to attend the inauguration.
