The Rawalpindi Ring Road is finished as a road but still is not open to traffic. Officials now say it will open in the first or second week of November 2026, after the remaining toll and traffic systems are installed. At the same time, Punjab has approved a third revised plan that puts the project cost at Rs 50.4 billion.
For drivers in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and the towns along GT Road, this is a long awaited bypass that is close but not quite ready. Here is where things stand.
The new opening date
The 38.3 km route from Banth on GT Road to Thalian on the M2 motorway has been built. Fencing on both sides from Banth to Thalian is complete and roadside planting has been done. What is left is the tolling.
- Toll plaza booths are still being installed at Banth and Thalian
- The Intelligent Transportation System and Electronic Toll Collection need about two more weeks to install, according to the deputy project director
- Offices for the Punjab Ring Road Authority, which will run the road, are being set up along with staff housing
The deputy project director, Ashfaq Sulheri, said the remaining work should be done by the end of October and that the Punjab government will open the road to traffic in the first or second week of November. Separately, the Rawalpindi Division Commissioner has directed departments to finish all finishing work by 25 October, and the administration has asked Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to give a date for the inauguration.
This is not the first date to pass. The opening target of 14 August 2026 was the project's sixth completion deadline, and it was missed because the toll booths and tolling system were not ready.
Why the cost is now Rs 50.4 billion
The Provincial Development Working Party approved the third revised PC 1 for the project at a meeting in Lahore on 12 October 2026. The new estimate of Rs 50.4 billion also covers the Thalian broad based interchange.
The cost has climbed in steps since the project began.
- Original approved cost Rs 26.9 billion
- First revision about Rs 33 billion
- Second revision about Rs 47 billion
- Third revision Rs 50.4 billion
The executing agency had asked for more. It argued that construction material prices had risen 61 percent, but the planning body allowed a 38 percent escalation and asked for the project to be completed within about Rs 50 billion. Officials have claimed there will be no further increase.
A senior official explained that the latest rise of around Rs 3 billion comes from three things. Toll plaza structures were changed, at a cost of Rs 800 million to Rs 1.2 billion, material prices rose 38 percent over two years, and the Thalian interchange plan was revised.
Land is not included in the headline figure. A total of 8,992 kanals were acquired for Rs 6.7 billion. If land is added, the official said the total cost rises to about Rs 57 billion.
The road in numbers
- Length 38.3 km
- Six lane controlled access road
- Design speed 120 km/h
- Five interchanges at GT Road Banth, Chakbeli Khan, Adiala, Chakri and Thalian
- Right of way 90 metres
- Two river bridges, 12 bridges over nullahs and roads, one railway bridge on the main line near Banth and 11 overpasses
Four of the five interchanges are complete. Work on the Thalian interchange, which was upgraded to a broad based design, is due to start after the road opens to traffic.
What it means for drivers
Once it opens, the Ring Road should give heavy traffic and long distance drivers a way around the busiest parts of Rawalpindi, linking GT Road directly with the M2. Local representatives say it will make it easier to reach Islamabad International Airport from Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedan, Jhelum, Mirpur and Dadyal, and it passes through Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi and Taxila tehsils.
It is a toll road, and toll rates have not been announced yet. Electronic toll collection is part of the system being installed, so check the official guidance on payment before your first trip once it opens.
A faster bypass also changes your fuel bill. Steady motorway speeds burn less fuel than stop start city traffic, which matters with petrol at Rs 381.14 a litre from 20 October 2026. You can follow the latest rates on our petrol price in Pakistan page.
If better road links have you thinking about a new car for highway use, browse the new cars page, look through used cars for sale, and put your shortlist side by side in the car comparison tool. For a fuel efficient option, our roundup of hybrid car prices for October 2026 is a good place to start. Punjab buyers should also read our report on the Punjab transfer lock for imported cars.
A long road to get here
The Ring Road was first planned in 2015, according to a local member of the National Assembly. A longer 68 km version was planned later, but work stopped after an alleged financial scam and a new 38.3 km alignment was approved. Imran Khan, then Prime Minister, laid a foundation stone in March 2022. The next government paused the project, then approved it after a third party check of the Banth to Thalian alignment, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid the foundation stone at Rawat on 8 August 2023.
A Phase II is already being studied. The preferred option would widen the M2 from Thalian to Hakla interchange from three lanes each way to five, over 15.3 km, at an estimated Rs 9 billion. That is still at the study stage.
What to watch next
The key dates now are 25 October, the deadline for finishing work, and the inauguration date the Chief Minister is expected to set. We will update this story when the opening date and toll rates are confirmed.