Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif laid the main foundation for a new underpass on Murree Road, which will link directly to the Srinagar Highway. The ceremony took place in Islamabad on Thursday, with Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa briefing the Prime Minister about the project’s details.
Once completed, the underpass will guarantee a signal-free corridor from Islamabad International Airport all the way to Muzaffarabad, benefiting thousands of daily commuters. Residents of Murree, Bhara Kahu, and surrounding areas have long demanded an easier access route to Srinagar Highway.
Previously, vehicles coming from Murree and Azad Jammu & Kashmir had to navigate the congested Kashmir Chowk roundabout, often facing long traffic jams and delays.
With this new underpass, traffic from Murree heading toward Faizabad will now move smoothly via dedicated link roads, significantly cutting back travel time and easing pressure on existing intersections.
Read more: Murree Road-Srinagar Highway underpass to be completed by mid-May
The prime minister admired Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa, and other CDA officials for starting a number of development projects in the capital. Mohammad Ali expressed confidence that the underpass would not only resolve long-standing traffic issues but also reflect the government’s dedication to infrastructure development.
Work on the underpass is already progressing at a fast pace. As per the CDA, the project is being executed as part of the larger Serena Interchange project, which was successfully completed earlier this year. Estimated to cost 900 million Rupees, the underpass project is anticipated to be completed within sixty days.
Responding to questions about the absence of a new tender process, a CDA official explained that under existing rules, the authority is permitted to undertake up to a 15 percent expansion of a project without fresh bidding. Since the underpass falls within this allowable variation, it was ratified by the CDA board and is being carried out by the existing contractor to save time and avoid bureaucratic delays.
The Serena Interchange itself, worth Rs 4.2 billion, was completed in just three months and inaugurated by PM Shehbaz in February. The new underpass now continues this momentum, promising smoother and more efficient mobility for the region.