PKHA told to expedite work on Swat Motorway

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority (PKHA) to expedite the construction work on Swat Motorway Phase-2 in addition to meeting the timelines specified for various aspects of Dir Motorway and other road projects. 

The chief minister will formally inaugurate the construction work on Abbottabad to Thandiani road tomorrow, which is a mega project of the provincial government under the Integrated Tourism Development Project (KITE).  

He was chairing a progress review meeting on the road sector development projects. Briefing the meeting regarding the road sector projects under KITE, the participants were informed that construction work on 24.37 km Abbottabad to Thandiani road had been initiated, which will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs3 billion. 

Furthermore, construction machinery has been deployed at the site of the 22-km-long Mankyal-Bada Sarai-Jabai road which will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs5.7 billion. However, the initial four km alignment of the said project has been damaged due to the recent flash floods and currently work is underway on its realignment.

With regards to motorway projects in the province, the meeting was informed that construction work on Swat Motorway Phase-2 had been initiated whereas technical modalities/requirements of Dir Motorway had been completed and the financial model of the project will be revised soon. 

Similarly, the 46 km long Buner Motorway project is also under consideration in the Public Private Partnership Unit which is expected to incur Rs25 billion. The proposed motorway will begin from Ismailia Interchange on Swat Motorway and will culminate at Pir Baba Swarai Road near Ambela in Buner District. 

Under the Provincial Roads Improvement Project (PRIP), nine roads are nearing completion whereas 80pc of work has been completed on the dualization of the 42 km Mardan-Swabi road project.

The survey of the 34 km long Kalam-Mataltan-Mahodand road has been completed, whereas the joint survey of the 57-km-long Shamozai-Kabal-Kanju-Baghdheri road in Swat is currently in progress.