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• Suggested slug: rawalpindi-ring-road-cost-rises-rs504b
• Category: National
• Focus keyphrase: Rawalpindi Ring Road cost
• SEO title: Rawalpindi Ring Road Cost Rises to Rs50.4 Billion
• Meta description: PDWP approves third revised PC-I of Rawalpindi Ring Road, pushing the 38.3km project’s estimated cost to Rs50.4 billion from Rs26.9 billion.
• Tags: Rawalpindi Ring Road, Punjab PDWP, Rawalpindi development, Thalian interchange, toll plazas, Punjab infrastructure
• Original element: own data point — Feature Pakistan earlier reported that incomplete toll plazas had delayed the Ring Road’s opening (linked below); this draft adds the full cost-revision history and tolling transfer context
• Source: Tribune (“Ring Road cost jumps to Rs50.4b”, published 17 Oct 2026, 02:14 PKT)

Rawalpindi Ring Road Cost Rises to Rs50.4 Billion

The estimated cost of the Rawalpindi Ring Road has climbed to Rs50.4 billion after the Punjab Development Working Party approved a third revision of the project’s PC-I, The Express Tribune reported, extending a pattern of cost overruns on the long-delayed 38.3-kilometre road.

The revised plan also covers the construction cost of the Thalian broad-based interchange. Construction of the Ring Road route under Group-I has been completed, while work on the tolling booth system under Group-II is under way. Land acquisition for the Thalian interchange under Group-III has also been completed.

The district administration has formally asked Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to fix a date for the project’s inauguration, signalling that the government believes the road is close to ready despite the unfinished tolling work.

A long history of revisions

The project’s original PC-I was valued at Rs26.9 billion. The cost rose to Rs32.9 billion under the first revised PC-I and then to Rs46.4 billion under the second. The third revised PC-I has now been approved at Rs50.4 billion.

The approval came at a PDWP meeting held in Lahore on October 12, chaired by the chairman of the Punjab Planning and Development Board.

The Ring Road project had remained pending for around 15 years. Construction of the route and four interchanges, at GT Road Banth, Chakbeli Khan, Adiala and Chakri, has now been completed.

Tolling shifts to the Ring Road Authority

Meanwhile, the tolling system under Group-II has been transferred from One Network Company to the Punjab Ring Road Authority, which will now be responsible for its operation and maintenance.

The civil structure of the tolling booth system has been completed, while work on way stations and the Intelligent Transport System is under way.

Feature Pakistan earlier reported that incomplete toll plazas had delayed the Ring Road’s opening, with the 38-kilometre road finished but toll booths and ancillary works lagging. The latest update confirms that those works remain in progress even as the administration seeks an inauguration date.

Why it matters

The Ring Road is one of the largest road projects in Rawalpindi’s history and is expected to ease traffic pressure on the city’s congested routes, including the GT Road corridor. Its repeated cost revisions, however, have made it a case study in how prolonged delays inflate public project costs in Punjab.

The road connects the GT Road near Banth with Chakri, passing through Chakbeli Khan and Adiala, which puts several growing housing areas and the city’s industrial edge within a shorter drive of the main highway network. For commuters from Rawat, Chakri and the surrounding villages, the route could cut travel times that currently force traffic through Rawalpindi’s inner roads.

Rawalpindi has seen a cluster of road works move forward in recent weeks. The city also scaled back its signal-free corridor plan to two underpasses as costs climbed, and Rawalpindi’s underpasses have been given a November deadline. Together with the free public transport rollout across Punjab cities, the Ring Road forms part of a wider push to fix urban mobility in the province.

If the inauguration goes ahead soon, the road could open to traffic before the tolling and way-station works are fully complete, with the Ring Road Authority managing a phased rollout of the tolling system.