August deadline set for RMK Road as Murree traffic piles up
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has asked the Communication and Works Department to complete the Rawalpindi-Murree-Kohala (RMK) Road by August to ease traffic on the Murree Expressway.
Provincial Minister for Communication and Works Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bharth inspected the road project, a flagship initiative under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s Murree Development Plan.
During the visit, the minister travelled more than 31 kilometres along the under-construction road to assess the pace, quality and overall progress on the project.
He was accompanied by Secretary Communication and Works Raja Jahangir Anwar, the chief engineer, executive engineer (XEN) and other senior officials.
During a briefing, officials informed the minister that the overall physical progress on the project had reached 60 per cent, while the remaining work was progressing at an accelerated pace.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress, Mr Bharth directed the officials to ensure completion of the project by August, while maintaining the highest standards of construction quality.
He said the project is a key component of the chief minister’s Murree Development Plan, aimed at upgrading road infrastructure and improving connectivity in the hill station.
The timely completion of the project would provide safe, efficient and high-quality travel facilities to both tourists and local residents. The minister appreciated the dedicated efforts of the highways team working on the project and commended their commitment to achieving construction targets.
He said no compromise would be made on construction quality, directing officials to maintain the current pace while ensuring strict adherence to engineering standards.
Mr Bharth further stated that the project would significantly improve access to Murree and its surrounding rural areas, promote tourism, facilitate socioeconomic development and strengthen regional connectivity.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment, the minister said under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab government was rapidly developing modern, safe and sustainable infrastructure across the province and remained fully committed to providing citizens with world-class road networks and improved public services.
Meanwhile, due to the closure of the RMK road, the Murree Expressway is witnessing a rush of traffic with an unusual number of tourists from different cities visiting Murree.
In view of the arrival of thousands of vehicles, the City Traffic Police Murree have implemented a special traffic plan and imposed a high alert throughout the city. Additional personnel have been deployed on all important highways, squares and tourist spots to maintain traffic flow.
According to the Murree district administration, the main highways, internal and external routes, important squares and various traffic points were being monitored so that uninterrupted travel facilities can be provided to citizens and tourists.
A spokesperson for the traffic police Murree said due to the ongoing repair work on RMK road and the Jhikka Gali remodeling project, traffic flow may be affected at some places.
Therefore, citizens and tourists have been urged to use alternative routes, avoid unnecessary travel and fully implement the instructions of the traffic wardens on duty so that the flow of traffic can be maintained.
He said that in view of the increasing influx of tourists, additional traffic wardens had been deployed at all important intersections, highways and sensitive locations, while the lift service had also been activated to take effective action against wrong parking.
The smooth flow of traffic is being ensured by eliminating illegal and random parking so that traffic jams do not arise at any location.
According to the spokesperson, despite the traffic pressure, traffic is flowing normally on most of the city’s main highways; however, due to the continuous entry of tourists, temporary pressure may arise at some places, which traffic police teams are present at all times to control.
The City Traffic Police Murree has appealed to citizens and tourists to observe lane discipline, travel in their designated lanes, avoid double lanes, unnecessary overtaking and driving in the wrong direction and show patience and fully cooperate with traffic officials.
The spokesperson said that if there was an unusual traffic situation, obstruction or any kind of difficulty at any point during the journey in Murree, citizens and tourists should immediately contact the traffic control room at 051-9269200, so that timely guidance and necessary assistance can be provided.