One of Islamabad busiest roads has been taking longer to get any relief from congestion than promised. The opening date of the Margalla Enclave underpass on Park Road was initially April 30, 2026, but that was postponed.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is constructing 10 billion project in collaboration with the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and the Frontier Works Organization. It has been built to decongest Zone-IV and enhance connectivity to the major housing communities like DHA Margalla Enclave, Park View City, Bahria Enclave, etc.
The works for the project began in late January 2026 with site preparation and traffic diversions, and will commence formal construction in March 2026. Officials had repeatedly told the people or the members of the Senate that the timeline was going according to its plan.
Minister of State for Interior Muhammad Talal Chaudhry has urged the Senate on the project in recent times but claimed that there had been no delay in its implementation since the project started. The underpass phase, the first of three, should be finished in July and the rest of the infrastructure should be finished in August, he said.
Confidence was followed by a formal CDA confirmation that came just after, which announced that the underpass would be open to traffic by July 30, 2026. Now that date has passed by and the underpass has not opened yet.
Commuter delays are months of disruption beyond their short-term design. Commuter delays are months of disruption that were designed to be short term. Since construction started, Park Road has been plagued with heavy traffic, with motorists reporting delays of 20-30 minutes daily, especially during the morning and evening rush hour.
The construction process, residents, students and traders have voiced complaints along the route. Issues include dust pollution, poor condition and narrow roads in diversion areas, insufficient signage, and issues after it rains and water and debris accumulate in temporary diversion roads.
The extended disruption has had a clear adverse impact on local business income with local business-owners attributing the impact to the reduced footfall of customers, stemming from the ongoing congestion and uncertainty around access routes. There have also been reports of vehicles being damaged by rough and uneven diversion surfaces.
Park Road is also a vital link for the residents of Chak Shahzad, Shahzad Town, Park Enclave, Park View City and nearby neighbourhoods as well as for traffic going to the nearby schools, universities, offices and commercial areas. It is one of that delays by this project have caused undue public frustration.
After the July 30 target date was missed, there has not been an official announcement of a new confirmed opening date. The authorities have yet to specify the cause of the recent postponement.
For the time being, residents who travel on Park Road are encouraged to plan ahead for additional travel time and abide by the traffic diversions in place until the CDA provides another timeline. The project having missed deadlines before, residents might be justified in taking deadlines with a pinch of salt until the underpass is actually open to traffic.
