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The long-awaited Rawal Dam underpass in Islamabad will finally become operational on Monday. According to a media report Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is likely to inaugurate the project himself. 

The latest update from the media revealed that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has informed the PM that the massive floods had stalled the Rawal Dam Interchange construction work, resulting in a delay. 

In addition, the authority had to change the project’s original contractor because of an operational disagreement, which also deferred the project. Recently, PM Shehbaz Sharif personally took notice of the delayed construction work and ordered a swift completion of the project. 

While visiting the site, the premier expressed his displeasure with the pace of progress and ordered the relevant authorities to speed up construction. 

Rawal Dam Interchange has multiple slip roads, an overhead bridge, an underpass, and a Margalla Town underpass. The development work near the intersection of Club Road, Murree Road, and Park Road has concluded. 

An official told the media that the CDA has been working day and night to expedite current development projects including IJP Road rehabilitation, Islamabad Expressway expansion, 7th Avenue flyover, Rawal Dam flyover, 9th Avenue flyover, 10th Avenue flyover, and Bhara Kahu Interchange. 

Explaining the cause of the delay, Chief Commissioner and Chairman CDA, Capt (r) Muhammad Usman Younis, said that they scheduled to complete the underpass by the 10th of this month, but rains constantly interfered with their original schedule. 

In August this year, the CDA opened the flyover of the Rawal Dam interchange project for traffic. The Rs1.1 billion project was inaugurated in July 2020, but construction work on it formally began after two years. This project also faced a huge delay as contractors (a joint venture of two companies) after completing 50 percent work stopped it halfway and due to the skyrocketing prices of construction materials