The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has approved a new design for Kutchery Chowk in Rawalpindi to accommodate more traffic at the city’s key intersection.
According to details, a flyover bridge will be made from Rawat after the completion of the Kharian Motorway that will be linked to the Grand Trunk (GT) Road and the proposed Ring Road in Rawalpindi under the newly-approved design.
It will also open up a convenient route for 131,500 vehicles a day, while the previous design would have only catered to 100,000 vehicles per day.
The project is expected to be completed in 24 months without closing off the main intersection for traffic but its cost has surged from Rs. 4.879 billion to Rs. 6.422 billion because of the inclusion of the flyover and a 25 percent hike in the prices of construction material.
Chairman of the Planning and Development Board, Abdullah Khan Sumbal, presided over a meeting to approve the new blueprint, which was presented by Commissioner Rawalpindi, Noor-ul-Amin Mengal, and the Chief Engineer of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Dr. Habibul Haq Randhawa.
A senior official of the Planning and Development revealed that the RDA’s previous estimate of Rs. 4.879 billion, including the cost of land acquisition, was cleared at a meeting on 7 March 2022. Multiple designs based on the service improvement, project cost, and traffic benefits were examined and the best option was selected after consultations with all the stakeholders, he added.
However, RDA has now developed a revised PC-I that includes the inclusion of a Y-shaped flyover to facilitate the traffic from Rawat to Saddar, Saddar to Rawat, and Marrir Chowk to Rawat because of the revised scope.
While the previous plan had level-2 six-lane underpasses from Saddar to Rawat, and from Saddar to the airport, a first-level underpass will now be built from Saddar to the old airport.
The Commissioner briefed the forum that the design was previously approved with a two-level underpass but after consulting the stakeholders, it was redesigned to a Y-shaped flyover including an underpass, in view of the security requirements of the route.
The newer project was approved at Rs. 6.422 billion and a completion period of 24 months. The RDA will revise the vertical clearance of the planned underpass for Iftikhar Janjua Road from 3.6 meters to 5.3 meters toward the airport-bound traffic.
Dr. Habibul Haq Randhawa mentioned that Kutchery Chowk, which is located in the heart of the city along the GT Road, is an intersection of five key urban routes that include Ammar Chowk, Rashid Minhas Road from Marrir Chowk, and the Adiala and Tufail roads on the southern side.
The district courts in the area cause congestion of traffic, particularly at peak hours, because of which the RDA will carry out a feasibility study, including a detailed blueprint for remodeling the intersection. After competitive bidding, the National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) has been tasked with devising the solution to the problem.
Dr. Randhawa explained,
The proposed improvement will provide an uninterrupted flow of two-way traffic along GT Road (N-5) at Kutchery Chowk intersection, which will benefit the daily commuters apart from overcoming the traffic problems in terms of delays, fuel consumption.
Rawalpindi Administration has decided to build three parking plazas in commercial areas of the metropolis to improve traffic.
The Commissioner of Rawalpindi Noor-ul-Amin Mengal said in a statement that the administration is planning to develop parking plazas to resolve traffic issues. He elaborated that the plazas will be constructed at Fawara Chowk, Bani Market, and Commercial Market under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
He added that the Municipal Corporation has allocated space for the construction of the plaza and that “separate floors will be allocated for motorcycles”.
The commissioner also claimed that the administration is aware of difficulties caused by traffic congestion, and said that it is working on building parking plazas to overcome congestion.
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