Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has unveiled an ambitious new infrastructure project for the twin cities: a 25-kilometre signal-free corridor stretching from Islamabad Expressway to Peshawar Road. Designed to ease chronic traffic congestion and cut travel times, the project will feature nine underpasses and three flyovers, with an estimated cost of around Rs 30 billion.
Maryam Nawaz said that work is initiating immediately and reiterated that the corridor is going to completed at the end of April, and claimed that it is a firm commitment rather than just a political promise. In her words, this is a pledge that “will be fulfilled,” signalling urgency and accountability in the project’s execution.
In a post shared in Urdu, she highlighted the scale of the plan:
“اسلام آباد ایکسپریس وے سے پشاور روڈ تک 25 کلومیٹر کا سگنل فری کوریڈور بن رہا ہے۔ اس میں نو انڈر پاسز اور تین فلائی اوور شامل ہیں۔ اس منصوبے کی لاگت تقریباً 30 بلین ہے۔ آج کام شروع ہو رہا ہے۔ اگلے سال اپریل میں یہ وعدہ پورا ہوگا۔”
Read more: Rawalpindi Ring Road cost rises to Rs 50 billion, completion deadline pushed to March 2026
For daily travellers who have to spend long stretches stuck at red lights and traffic bottlenecks, the idea of a signal-free corridor is a kind of bringing a sense of relief and hope. The project is expected to smooth traffic between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, particularly for those using major arteries to reach workplaces, schools, hospitals, and markets.
30 billion signal-free corridor project for Rawalpindi
Maryam Nawaz also framed the project as a major segment of a broader development push in Rawalpindi, claiming that the city has seen more development in the last year and a half than at any previous time.
She credited this pace of progress to the leadership and governance style of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), arguing that infrastructure growth fastens its belt and increases when PML-N and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif are in power, and slows when they are not.
Signal-free corridor: A larger vision of national development
She linked the signal-free corridor to a larger vision of national development, suggesting that modern, efficient road networks do more than move cars — they are meant to
- Support business activity
- reduce fuel
- time wastage
- improve quality of life for residents
Read more: Rawalpindi gets its very first electric bus service with launch of 45 buses on four key routes
After the completion, the corridor is expected to integrate with ongoing projects in and around Rawalpindi, reinforcing the city’s role as one of the major urban hub and making daily travel between the twin cities faster, safer and more predictable for hundreds of thousands of people.