Work on western route’s Hakla-D.I. Khan Motorway to be concluded by June 2020 under CPEC

ISLAMABAD, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 3rd Dec, 2019 ) :The under-construction Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway project, part of the western alignment of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is likely to be completed by June next year.

An official of National Highway Authority (NHA) told APP on Tuesday that the motorway would reduce travel time between Islamabad and Dera Ismail Khan and boost economic activities in less developed areas of the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The four-lane 285-kilometre north-south motorway starts from the Hakla on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway, near Fateh Jang interchange, and termites at Yarik near Dera Ismail Khan.

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

For ensuring timely completion, he said, the Hakla-D I Khan Motorway had been divided into five sections including Yarik-Rehmani Khail section, Rehmani Khail-Kot Belian section, Kot Belian-Tarap section, Tarap-Pindi Gheb section and Pindi Gheb-Hakla Interchange section.

He said the motorway includes 11 interchanges, 19 flyovers (6 lanes), 15 bridges (4 lane), 74 underpasses, 259 culverts, and three major bridges (6 lane); one at River Swan, one at River Indus and third at River Koram.

The motoway will have a 100m wide right of way in order to widen the four-lane road to six lanes in future.

He said work on the 55-kilometre Yarik-Rehmanikhel section awarded to M/s NLC, started in October 2016.

The cost of the project funded by the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), is Rs12,758 million and so far over 80 per cent physical progress has been achieved.

He said that about 60 km Package-II of the motorway namely Rehmanikhel-Kot Belian package which had been awarded to M/s SKB-KNK JV had further been divided into two sections. One of its section has almost been completed while about 30 per cent physical progress of its other section has been achieved.

The NHA official said Package-III of the motorway, 55-kilometre Kot Belian-Tarap section has been awarded to M/s FWO. The package will cost Rs20618.94 million and so far over 52 per cent physical progress has been achieved. Work on the package, he said, started in October 2016.

He said the 62-kilometre Tarap-Pindi Gheb section had been awarded to M/s Limak-ZKB JV and the section would cost Rs21386.22 million. Its work started in November 2016 and so far 50 per cent physical progress of the package has been achieved.

He said the 63-km Package-V Pindi Gheb-Hakla Interchange section costing Rs16845.80 million had been awarded to M/s Limak-ZKB JV. Its construction started in January 2017 and so far 44 per cent physical progress saqhs been achieved.

Work on the package started in January 2017 and was scheduled to be completed by end of January this year but so far less than 40 per cent physical progress could be achieved.