KP Starts Rs. 7.2bn Peshawar Road Upgrade Plan

Peshawar commuters may soon see fresh road work on one of the city’s busy routes, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has started the Pishtakhara Underpass project under the wider Peshawar Revitalisation Plan. The announcement was made on September 14, 2026, when Chief Minister Sohail Afridi laid the foundation stone, according to ProPakistani and a PDA event page on wce.pda.kp.gov.pk.

For daily travellers in Peshawar, the big news is not only the underpass itself but the scale of the wider plan. The province says Phase-I of the revamp has been given Rs. 7.2 billion and covers 19 major routes for renovation and infrastructure work. At the same time, the available announcement does not give a completion date, diversion plan, or detailed underpass design, which leaves commuters with key questions still unanswered.

According to Sources, Afridi said the goal is to improve traffic flow, make travel easier, and keep work standards, financial transparency, and deadlines in check. The PDA event page at https://www.wce.pda.kp.gov.pk/event_det/379 also records the inauguration of the Peshawar Revitalization Plan by the chief minister.

What is included in Phase-I?

The plan is split into sub-phases. The source says Phase 1-A covers a group of major city roads and links, including:

• Bacha Khan Chowk to Pajaggi Ring Road

• Dalazak Road

• Bacha Khan Chowk to Northern Bypass Road

• Ashraf Road to Circular Road

• Hashtnagri Road

• Faqirabad Road

• Khyber Bazaar to Kohat Road

• Cinema Road

• LRH Road

• Ramdas Chowk to GT Road

• Lahore Chowk to Inam Sanam Chowk

Phase 1-B includes:

• Kohat Road to Bara Pul

• University Road to Canal Road

• Bara Road to Sufion Chowk

• Swati Phatak Road to Ring Road

• Ring Road at Achini to University Road at Spin Jumaat

The announcement also says the work will include improvements to boundary walls, main roads, and municipal entry points in Hayatabad.

What this means for drivers

For now, the most important thing for drivers is that the project has officially begun, but the city has not yet shared the practical details people need before construction affects traffic. There is no published lane-closure timetable, no alternate route map, and no confirmed completion date in the available report.

That means commuters should be careful about relying on social media posts about closures. The safer move is to check official KP and Peshawar traffic updates before starting trips, and keep extra travel time ready once work starts on affected roads. For background, read our earlier coverage: ML-1 Railway Project Starts: Karachi-Rohri Upgrade Kicks Off.

This kind of city upgrade can matter a lot for Peshawar, where many routes already carry heavy daily traffic. But until the government shares the execution plan, the real impact will stay limited to the start of construction rather than a proven drop in congestion.

Readers can also look at DrivePK’s earlier coverage of road work in Karachi for a sense of how large urban upgrades can affect daily travel: Karachi's Rs 4.2 Billion Road Upgrade Plan: Fixing Traffic and Sewerage in 2026.

For now, the Peshawar project is best seen as a formal launch of a wider road modernisation push, not as a finished fix. The next updates commuters should watch for are the contractor details, traffic diversion plan, utility work schedule, and the expected completion date.

For more updates, visit DrivePK.com