The opening of the Rawalpindi Ring Road has been postponed for a sixth time, with one interchange still incomplete and key tolling and traffic systems yet to be installed. The delay means the long-awaited project will not open in full on the date many in the city had expected.
The Rawalpindi commissioner has now decided that the road should be fully opened to traffic in November. The aim is to take heavy traffic out of the city and improve traffic flow across Rawalpindi.
Rawalpindi Ring Road: what is still unfinished
The Thallian interchange, near the end of the route, remains unfinished. It is the one interchange of the five on the route that is not yet complete. The Banth interchange at the starting point, along with the Chak Beli Khan, Adiala Road and Chakri interchanges, has been completed.
Toll booths, the Intelligent Transportation System and the electronic toll collection system are also awaiting completion. Those systems must be in place before the road can open in full, even though the main route itself is largely ready.
A project now past its first cost estimate by a wide margin
The project was first estimated to cost Rs26.9 billion. Its cost has now passed Rs58 billion and is expected to approach Rs60 billion by completion. The rise reflects nearly two decades of delay, revision and unfinished work.
The road was conceived during the tenure of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, and its foundation stone was laid by former prime minister Imran Khan. The 38.3-kilometre road has six lanes and five interchanges.
Why this delay matters for Rawalpindi
Feature Pakistan reported on October 22 that preparations were under way for the inauguration of the road on October 28, with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expected to open it at the Banth Interchange on GT Road, in Rawalpindi Ring Road Inauguration October 28. That report also put the third revised project cost at Rs50.4 billion, a figure that included the future Thallian interchange. The new report of a cost past Rs58 billion shows how far the final bill has moved since that revision.
For residents, the practical point is simple. The road is meant to let heavy vehicles travelling between Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab, including routes towards Karachi, bypass the twin cities. Until the Thallian interchange and the tolling systems are finished, that relief stays out of reach.
The delay also sits in a wider pattern of road building in the region. Peshawar has faced its own ring road disruption, reported in Peshawar Ring Road Demolitions, while new motorway work continues elsewhere in Punjab, including the Sambrial-Kharian Motorway. Large infrastructure spending also passed through the federal planning process in CDWP Approves Rs213 Billion Projects.
What happens next
The commissioner wants the road fully open in November, once the remaining work is done. That gives the project a new target, but the record of six postponements means the November aim will be judged against what is actually finished, not what is promised.
Separately, the Islamabad Ring Road project, linking Taxila to Bharakahu and Bharakahu to Rawat-Banth, has been given a completion deadline of June 30, 2028. Once both projects are complete, a wider ring road network will connect Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Source: The Express Tribune, “Ring Road opening delayed again”, 28 October 2026, https://tribune.com.pk/story/2637311/ring-road-opening-delayed-again
Frequently asked questions
Why has the Rawalpindi Ring Road opening been delayed again?
The Thallian interchange is unfinished, and the toll booths, Intelligent Transportation System and electronic toll collection system are not yet complete.
How many times has the opening been postponed?
Six times, according to the latest report.
How long is the Rawalpindi Ring Road?
The road is 38.3 kilometres long, with six lanes and five interchanges.
When is the road now expected to open fully?
The Rawalpindi commissioner has decided that the road should be fully opened to traffic in November.
What will the road cost?
The project was first estimated at Rs26.9 billion. Its cost has now passed Rs58 billion and is expected to approach Rs60 billion by completion.
