Kashmir Chowk underpass Islamabad: Rs 1.45 billion project starts 5 October, diversion for 2 to 3 months

Work on the Kashmir Chowk underpass in Islamabad starts with a groundbreaking on Monday 5 October 2026, and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) wants it finished in about two months, ahead of the contract's 90-day deadline, ProPakistani reported on 1 October. If you drive between Islamabad and Rawalpindi or towards Murree through Kashmir Chowk, expect a diversion road and slower traffic from next week until roughly the end of the year.

What is being built

• Where: Kashmir Chowk, on the Serena side of the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road corridor.
• What it does: the underpass will carry traffic coming from Serena towards Rawalpindi, while vehicles heading towards Murree stay on the road above. Today both streams meet at the chowk.
• Cost: Rs 1.45 billion, the winning bid from Habib Construction Services (HCS), slightly under the CDA's estimate of Rs 1.486 billion.
• Builder: HCS, which also built the Serena Interchange, the Murree Road underpass, the T-Chowk flyover and the Sheen Chowk underpass for the CDA.

What it means for your commute

Utility lines are already being shifted and a diversion road is under construction, so the chowk will run on a temporary layout once excavation starts after 5 October. On a 90-day contract that runs to early January 2027; on the CDA's two-month target, early December.

Practical steps for the next two to three months:

1. Leave 10 to 15 minutes earlier at office hours on the Serena to Rawalpindi route until the diversion settles.
2. Use alternatives where you can: the Islamabad Expressway or IJP Road for Rawalpindi, depending on where you start.
3. Check your fuel spend: stop-start traffic costs more petrol. Our fuel cost calculator works out a month's commute at today's petrol price of Rs 387.40 a litre.

More CDA projects in the pipeline

The CDA also plans to start four other projects in the capital: a cricket stadium, an extra block at the Jinnah Convention Centre, a Safari Park, and the National History Museum at Malpur. No dates or costs were given for those.

Why it matters

Kashmir Chowk is one of the main junctions between the twin cities, and the CDA's recent underpasses on the same corridor were built quickly. If this one holds to two months, the disruption is short; if it slips past the 90 days, it will run into the winter wedding season traffic. We will update this page when the diversion plan and any road closures are announced.