Why Drivers at Kashmir Chowk Still Face Long Delays

Every morning and evening, the stretch near Islamabad Club turns into a slow crawl. Cars from the Serena side, vehicles heading to Rawalpindi, and those bound for Murree all meet at the same point. Locals call it Dhokri Chowk. For years it has been one of the capital’s toughest bottlenecks. People lose time. Fuel burns. Tempers rise. Now the Capital Development Authority has taken a clear step forward on a fix that many have waited for.

Technical bids for a Rs1.4 billion underpass at Kashmir Chowk on Murree Road have been opened. Construction has not begun. The process is still in the evaluation stage. But the plan is public, and the design is straightforward.

How the Underpass Will Work

Traffic coming from the Serena side and heading toward Rawalpindi will go under the road. Vehicles moving toward Murree will stay on the surface and use the top slab of the underpass. The goal is simple: separate the main conflicting streams so the junction no longer forces everything to mix and stop.

The location sits near Islamabad Club. It sits on a key link between Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and the Murree Road corridor. Once finished, the underpass should cut the daily friction that builds up at this point. Officials say it will improve overall flow on the routes that connect the twin cities and the northern areas.

An earlier estimate had put the cost higher, around Rs1.69 billion when the tender was first floated. The figure now stands at about Rs1.4 billion. The difference reflects the final scope after design and evaluation work.

Where the Bidding Process Stands Right Now

Two construction firms submitted technical bids: Habib Construction Services and MS Kamran Khan, known as the Kundi Group. During evaluation, the CDA declared the Kundi Group non-responsive. The firm then filed a grievance.

Until that complaint is decided, financial bids cannot be opened. A CDA official said the authority’s committee will rule on the grievance within five days. If the complaint is accepted, both firms’ financial bids will be opened. If it is rejected, the Kundi Group can take the matter to the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority. In any case, officials expect the issue to be settled within 15 days.

Both companies already have a record with the CDA. Habib Construction Services has finished several large recent projects, including the Serena Interchange, the Murree Road underpass (part of the Jinnah Square work), the T-Chowk Flyover, and the Shaheen Chowk underpass. The Kundi Group has handled the IJP service road, Faizabad loop expansion, and various sector development works. One CDA engineer described the grievance as a normal part of the process, not a sign of deeper controversy.

The Bigger Picture of Road Work in Islamabad

This underpass does not stand alone. Over the past two years the CDA has completed a series of major road projects. The Serena Interchange and linked Murree Road underpass created a cleaner path from the airport side toward Murree. The Shaheen Chowk underpass on Margalla Road at 9th Avenue opened at the end of 2025 and has already eased pressure near universities and offices in that area. The T-Chowk Flyover and other upgrades have added capacity at other pressure points.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has repeatedly pushed for faster delivery. In early August 2026 he publicly confirmed plans for underpasses at both Kashmir Chowk and the Faisal Avenue-Margalla Road junction near Faisal Masjid. The Faisal Masjid project is still in the design and PC-I stage. Kashmir Chowk has moved further ahead into the bidding phase.

These efforts form part of a wider push to create more signal-free movement on key corridors. The idea is to reduce the stops and merges that currently slow traffic across the capital.

Why This Junction Matters So Much

Kashmir Chowk sits on a route used by daily commuters, people traveling to and from Rawalpindi, and those heading north to Murree or beyond. Before the recent Murree Road underpass work near Jinnah Square, many drivers coming from the Murree side had to loop through this area to reach Srinagar Highway. Even after that improvement, the remaining conflict at Kashmir Chowk continues to create queues.

A traffic study launched earlier in 2026 looked at the junction in detail. It examined vehicle volumes, pedestrian movement, public transport, and safety. The study was meant to recommend grade-separated options such as an underpass or flyover rather than adding signals. The current project matches that direction.

Drivers know the cost of the current setup. Extra minutes every day add up. Fuel costs rise. School runs and office trips become unpredictable. For people who use this road regularly, even a modest reduction in delay would be noticeable.

What Happens Next

The grievance process must finish first. Once financial bids are opened and a contractor is selected, work can begin. No construction start date has been announced because the evaluation is not complete. Past CDA projects of similar size have sometimes moved quickly once the contract was awarded. The Shaheen Chowk underpass, for example, was finished well ahead of its original timeline.

Another underpass at Faisal Avenue and Margalla Road is still in preparation. Together the two projects would address two of the remaining major friction points in the city’s central road network. At the same time, some other schemes, such as the federally funded 10th Avenue project, remain only half finished and have seen little progress for over a year.

Practical Impact for Everyday Travel

If the underpass works as designed, drivers heading from the Serena area toward Rawalpindi should experience a smoother path with fewer stops. Those going to Murree will stay on the surface level without competing for the same space. The change should reduce the weaving and sudden braking that currently mark the junction.

The project will not solve every traffic problem in Islamabad. Vehicle numbers continue to grow. New housing and commercial activity add demand. Still, removing one of the most consistent bottlenecks on a major corridor is a concrete step. Fuel savings and time savings for thousands of daily users would be the real measure of success.

For now the process is moving through its formal stages. Technical bids are in. One firm has raised an objection. The CDA has a short window to decide. After that, financial offers will decide the contractor, and only then will construction equipment appear on site.

Residents who drive this route every day will watch the next few weeks closely. The promise is a clearer path through one of Islamabad’s most familiar traffic traps. The test will be whether the project moves from bids to open lanes without the delays that have slowed other schemes in the past.For more updates, visit DrivePK.com