KP to link southern districts with CPEC’s M-14

ISLAMABAD: The Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority has issued a public tender to build a new 42.3-kilometre link road connecting the Bannu Link Road on the N-55 with the Hakla-Yarik-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway (M-14), a flagship connectivity project under the western alignment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The move marks a major step toward integrating southern and central districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the national motorway network.

The project was announced in an official statement late Monday, which said that, on the directives of Chief Minister Suhail Afridi, the initiative would “provide easier, safer and faster travel” for residents of Bannu, Karak, Lakki Marwat and adjoining areas by giving them direct access to the M-14 and onward links to Islamabad, Mianwali, Rawalpindi and other parts of Punjab.

The tender has been floated under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

According to the notice, the private partner will undertake financing, construction and operation of the project, while the authority may extend viability-gap funding and other support.

The statement said the southern belt of KP would receive the same modern connectivity available to other parts of the country, adding that the project would help “improve mobility and boost regional trade and investment.”

Upon completion of this project, travel in the region will become smoother and effective connectivity of the southern districts with the national highway and motorway network will be possible.

The project aims not only to provide the public with modern travel facilities, but also to support regional trade and economic activity.

The M-14 Motorway was completed and inaugurated on January 5, 2022.

By opening the 285-kilometre high-speed link, travel time between Islamabad and southern KP was drastically reduced: journeys that once took roughly five hours or more via older roads can now be completed in about three hours.