Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi inaugurated the Hayatabad Toll Plaza Underpass in Peshawar this week, opening a Rs1.6 billion project that was completed in just 90 days. The new underpass is designed to ease chronic congestion at one of the city’s busiest traffic points.
Background
Hayatabad Toll Plaza has long been a bottleneck for commuters travelling between the Bara side of Peshawar and Ring Road. Traffic volumes at the toll point regularly caused delays, prompting the provincial government to fast-track an underpass project aimed at separating through-traffic from the congestion around the plaza itself.
The project forms part of a wider push by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to upgrade road infrastructure across Peshawar. Other underpass and overpass projects, including works on Dallazak Road and at Pishtakhara and Jameel Chowk, are part of the same broader urban development push.
Details
The newly opened underpass stretches 500 metres in total, including a 130-metre barrel section, and was built on 665 piles to support the structure. It has two lanes and provides a direct route for vehicles travelling from Detour Road on the Bara side toward Ring Road, bypassing the toll plaza entirely.
Officials say the design was chosen specifically to reduce congestion at the toll plaza and on the surrounding road network, while also cutting down on unnecessary stoppages and delays for daily commuters. Completing the project in roughly 90 days was presented by provincial authorities as evidence of faster execution on public infrastructure works in the province.
The inauguration ceremony drew a notable turnout of officials and the public. Members of the provincial cabinet, including Meena Khan Afridi, Shafi Jan, Mian Umar Kakakhel and Adil Iqbal, attended alongside National Assembly members Junaid Akbar and Asif Khan, who represent Peshawar constituencies. Several other elected representatives, party leaders and a large number of local residents were also present.
Quotes
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Minister for Information, Shafi Jan, commented on the public turnout at the event, framing the strong reception for Chief Minister Afridi as a sign of continued public support for the sitting provincial government in Peshawar and across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Impact
For residents of Hayatabad and surrounding neighbourhoods, the underpass is expected to have an immediate, practical impact on daily commuting. Authorities anticipate shorter travel times, smoother traffic flow, and fewer bottlenecks at a junction that has historically been a major source of delays for both private vehicles and commercial traffic moving along Ring Road.
Beyond the immediate traffic benefits, the project is also being positioned as part of the provincial government’s broader infrastructure agenda for Peshawar, which includes multiple underpass and road-widening initiatives intended to modernise the city’s transport network over the coming months.
Conclusion
With the Hayatabad Toll Plaza underpass now operational, attention will likely shift to the other underpass and overpass projects currently under construction in Peshawar, including those on Dallazak Road and at Pishtakhara, Jameel Chowk and Hazar Khwani. If completed on similar timelines, these projects could collectively reshape traffic patterns across several of the city’s busiest corridors in the near future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the newly inaugurated Hayatabad Toll Plaza underpass located?
The underpass is located at the Hayatabad Toll Plaza in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, at a point where traffic from the Bara side of the city, via Detour Road, meets Ring Road. This location has traditionally been one of the busiest and most congested traffic points in Peshawar, making it a priority site for the provincial government’s road infrastructure upgrades. The underpass now gives commuters a direct route through this junction instead of having to pass through the toll plaza itself.
When was the Hayatabad Toll Plaza underpass inaugurated?
The underpass was formally inaugurated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi this week, with the ceremony drawing provincial cabinet members, National Assembly representatives from Peshawar, local party leaders and a large crowd of residents. Construction had been completed shortly before the inauguration, with the entire project taking approximately 90 days from start to finish, a timeline provincial officials have highlighted as an example of accelerated project delivery.
Why was the Hayatabad Toll Plaza underpass constructed?
The underpass was built primarily to reduce traffic congestion at the Hayatabad Toll Plaza and on the roads surrounding it. Before its construction, vehicles travelling between the Bara side of Peshawar and Ring Road had to pass directly through the toll plaza, which often led to long queues and delays, especially during peak traffic hours. By providing a dedicated two-lane route around the plaza, the project is intended to improve vehicle flow, reduce unnecessary stoppages, and save commuters time on one of the city’s most heavily used routes.
