ISLAMABAD: The construction work on 285-kilometer long Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Expressway is going on smoothly and some sections of the the project would be completed by end of 2018, while the remaining would become operational in 2019.
An official of National Highway Authority (NHA) told APP on Wednesday that the project, which will form part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor Western Route will cost Rs129 billion.
For timely completion, the motorway has been divided in five packages, he said adding that Phase one of the project is 55 km Yarik-Rehmani Khail section.
The contract has been awarded to M/s NLC and upto 33 percent progress has been achieved so far.Cost of the package would be Rs13,257 million. He said that 65 km Phase -2 of the project which starts from Rehmani Khail and ends near Mianwali is under procurement is divided in two parts, which are at mobilization and under award stage.
The 52-kilometer Phase 3 begins from near Mianwali and ends at Tarap near Injra in district Attock. The contract of the section has been awarded to M/s FWO. The section would Rs20,629 million and about 15 per cent progress has been achieved so far,he added.
He said that 50-kilometer Tarap-Pindi Gheb section contract has been awarded to M/s Limak-ZKB JV. This section would cost 21,386 million and about Rs 24 pc progress has been achieved.
The NHA official said that Phase 5 is 63-kilometer Pindi Gheb-Hakla Interchange section and its contractor is M/s Limak-ZKB JV. The section would cost Rs 16,887 million and about 10 per cent progress has been achieved,he said.
The 285-kilometer-long motorway is being developed as part of the Western Alignment of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The expressway includes provision of 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 road will have 100 metre wide right of way (ROW) to convert the four lane facility to six lanes in future.
From Hakla, Fateh Jang, the highway will extend in a southwestern direction passing the towns of Pindi Gheb, Tarap, and Mianwali.
The motorway route will cross the Indus River near Mianwali and by pass near Isakhail before entering into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The motorway will continue on wards before terminating near the town of Yarik, just north of Dera Ismail Khan.