CPEC: Hazara Motorway completion date announced
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ISLAMABAD - Construction of remaining 12 kilometre Sarai Saleh-Havelian section of Burhan- Havelian Motorway is nearing completion and it is expected to be accomplished by March end, an official of National Highway Authority (NHA) told APP on Wednesday. According to the original schedule, this section was to be completed by December 2017, however, the project has still not been completed. Commuters from Mansehra and Abbotabad have expressed their disappointment over one year delay in the completion of the project. They said the NHA had claimed that Havelian to Mansehra section of the Havelian-Thakot would be completed in April 2018, but failed to even accomplish the Burhan-Havelian section of Hazara Motorway. It is worth a mention that the 47-km section of the Motorway from Burhan (M-1) to Shah Maqsood interchange was opened for traffic in December 2017. After completion of this 12 kilometre portion, Burhan-Havelian Motorway will become fully operational and provide a modern six-lane road facility to the people of Havelian, Abbottabad, Mansehra and adjoining areas.
The project is an important part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and its groundbreaking was done in November, 2014 and it was scheduled to be completed by December 2017.
The project was divided into three packages aimed at increasing the pace of work. The package-1 (Burhan-Jarikas) was awarded to M/S China Gezhouba Group Company and Ghulam Rasool Company as joint venture with bid amount of Rs7.376 billion. The package-2 (Jarikas-Serai Saleh) was awarded to M/S China Gezhouba Group Company and AM Associates on JV with bid amount of Rs 6.775 billion. The both packages were scheduled to be completed by March 2017, but they were accomplished in December 2017. The third package (Serai Slaeh-Havelian) was awarded to M/S Limak-ZKB (JV) with bid amount of Rs 8.188 billion and this package was scheduled to be completed by December 2017 but it could not be completed even in 2018 and now March 2019 has been given as the new date of its completion. The project is being completed through an Asian Development Bank loan (90 percent of total cost) and 10 percent by the government.
