PESHAWAR, Nov 11: The National Highway Authority has revised a plan to construct a multi-billion rupee expressway linking Pakistan with Afghanistan through the Torkham border and realigned the project, it is learnt.
Under the revised plan, the NHA has marked another site for the project, which was first proposed in 2004 after increase in trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics.
An official told Dawn that the Torkham border town would now be connected with the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway via somewhere in Shalman-Malagori in the Khyber Agency. The expressway will be linked with the Motorway through the proposed northern bypass to be built by the authority.
The official said alignment of the expressway had been changed owing to perilous nature and unmanageable passage through the existing Peshawar-Torkham Highway. Earlier, the authority had planned to turn the existing Peshawar-Torkham road into expressway.
The proposed expressway will cost Rs14 billion and the Asian Development Bank has financed the project. According to the original plan, the project should have been completed in 2006.
Pakistan’s export to Afghanistan alone is more than $1.5 billion (Year 2006), whereas the volume of goods carried under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement via this land route is more than that. The route also serves as the main supply line for Nato forces in Afghanistan and for transit trade.
Sources said land acquisition process for the expressway was underway when the decision was taken to change alignment of the project. The decision regarding relocating alignment of the expressway was taken at a meeting presided over by NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani. Tenders had been floated, but the project was revised.
“The reason for revising the project is that the existing Peshawar-Torkham road passes through hamlet of houses and local residents usually block the road on pity issues. Nowadays closure of the Torkham highway is a routine matter, that’s why the site was changed,” the sources said.
Initial cost of the project was Rs13.75 billion and its length was 52 kilometres from Peshawar to the Torkham border checkpoint. According to the revised plan, the cost of the project has been estimated at Rs14 billion and its distance will be about 60 kilometres.
Under the new plan, the expressway will be linked with the Motorway through the northern bypass and will pass through Regi Lalma, Shagai, Malagori and Shalman, and end at Torkham. Officials said the proposed site was sparsely populated.
The NHA had also planned to construct the 26-kilometre Peshawar northern bypass at a cost of Rs4 billion. Land acquisition for the dual carriageway is in progress.
Consultancy of the expressway has been given to the National Engineer Services, Pakistan. Officials said consultants were waiting for security clearance from the political administration. Militants have recently surfaced in Malagori and Shaman areas of the Khyber tribal region. Sources said further delay could escalate the project cost.