A new plan for rebuilding Kutchery Chowk has been authorized by the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) in order to accommodate the greatest amount of traffic at the garrison city’s main junction.
In 24 months, the project will be finished without having to shut down traffic on the major square.
Following the building of the Kharian Motorway, which will connect to the Grand Trunk Road and the proposed Rawalpindi Ring Road, a flyover will be built to accommodate traffic arriving from the Rawat side. This will give 131,500 vehicles each day an easier route. Only 100,000 cars per day would have been accommodated by the remodeling under the earlier plan.
Due to the addition of the flyover and a 25% rise in the price of construction materials, the project’s cost increased from Rs4.879 billion to Rs6.422 billion.
Abdullah Khan Sumbal, Chairman of the Planning and Development Board, presided over the board meeting conducted to approve the new design. Commissioner Noorul Amin Mengal and Dr. Habibul Haq Randhawa, Chief Engineer of the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), presented the design.
The RDA had submitted the revised cost estimate of Rs4.879 billion inclusive of land acquisition to the Planning and Development Board for approval, according to a senior official of the Planning and Development department. At a meeting on March 7, 2022, a rationalized cost of Rs4.879 billion, he claimed, was approved. Based on the degree of service improvement, project cost, and traffic advantages, various design ideas were presented.
The best approach was chosen after collaboration with all involved parties, he continued. However, due to the changed scope, the RDA has now developed a revised PC-I, which includes the inclusion of a Y-shaped flyover to help with traffic from Rawat to Saddar, Saddar to Rawat, and Marrir Chowk to Rawat.
The first level underpass will be built as part of the project to connect Saddar with the former airport and then Saddar itself. There used to be a level-2 underpass with a total of six lanes connecting Saddar to Rawat and Saddar to the airport.
The commissioner explained to the forum that the project had previously been approved with a design featuring a two-level underpass; however, following discussions with all stakeholders, the design was slightly modified to include both an underpass and a Y-shaped flyover, taking into consideration the route’s security requirements.
The project was approved with a gestation period of 24 months and a total cost of Rs6.422 billion. The proposed underpass for Iftikhar Janjua Road’s vertical clearance should be increased from 3.6 to 5.3 meters, according to the RDA.
Kutchery Chowk, located in the center of the city along GT Road, is the signalized crossroads of five main metropolitan arteries, according to RDA Chief Engineer Dr. Habibul Haq Randhawa. Adiala and Tufail roads on the southern side, Rashid Minhas Road from Ammar Chowk, and the airport road from Ammar Chowk were all included in this.
“The proposed improvement will provide 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,” he said.
