CPEC boosting connectivity: Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway undergoing final touches

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – APP – 12th Nov, 2020 ) :Construction work of Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway (M-14) has been geared up and it is expected that project would be accomplished by the end of the ongoing fiscal year in June next year.

Talking to APP, an official of National Highway Authority (NHA) told APP on Thursday that the 292 kilometer four-lane motorway which form part of Western alignment of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been divided in five sections.

He said that presently 93 per cent physical progress has been achieved on Yarik-Rehmanikhel section of the motorway which had been awarded to M/s NLC and its work had started in July 2017.

About Rehmanikhel-Kot Belian section, he said the contract was awarded to M/s SKB-KNK Joint venture. He said the section has been divided in two packages and so far about 99 per cent physical progress have been achieved on Package-1 whereas on Package-II about 93 per cent progress has been achieved. Work on the section had started in July 2017.

The official said that Kot Belian -Tarap section contract had been awarded to M/s FWO and its work had started in October 2016 and so far 93 per cent progress has been achieved.

The contract of Tarap-Pindi Gheb section had been awarded to M/s Limak-ZKB Joint Venture and its work started in Nov 2016 and so far 61 per cent work has been completed.

The contract of Pindi Gheb-Hakla Interchange section had been awarded to M/s Limak-ZKB JV and its work started in January 2017 and so far over 56 per cent physical progress of the section has been achieved.

It is worth a mentioning here that the ground breaking ceremony of the vital link took place in May 2016. The four-lane controlled access motorway will start from the Hakla Interchange on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway, near Fateh Jang.

From Hakla, the motorway will extend in a southwestern direction passing the towns of Fateh Jang, Pindi Gheb, Tarap, and Mianwali. Then the route will traverse the Sindh Sagar Doab region, and cross the Indus River near Mianwali before entering into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near Isakhail and continue onwards before terminating near the town of Yarik, north of Dera Ismail Khan.

The M-14 included provision of 11 interchanges, 19 flyovers, 15 bridges, 74 underpasses, 259 culverts, and three major bridges ,one at River Swan, second at River Indus and third at River Kurram. This motorway have a 100 meter wide right of way in order to widen the four lane road to six lanes in future as traffic volume increases.