Swat Motorway Phase-II construction okayed under public-private partnership

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Wednesday approved the construction of Swat Motorway Phase-II project under public-private partnership.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan chaired a meeting of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) committee on the Phase-II of the motorway, said an official handout.

Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Advisor to chief minister on Energy Himayatullah Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, administrative secretaries, and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The meeting agreed to the proposed financial models for the construction of Swat Motorway Phase-II project. The participants approved the go-ahead on Build Operate Transfer (BoT) model through public-private partnership.

The 80Km long Swat Motorway Phase-II Project to be constructed from Chakdara Interchange to Fatehpur Madyan would have nine interchanges and eight main bridges on river Swat. The local population on both sides of the Swat River would be connected through these interchanges and bridges.

The chief minister directed the officials to fix realistic timelines for the groundbreaking and subsequent completion of this flagship project of the provincial government. The meeting was briefed about the background of the project, its salient features, cost, technical studies, financial models and other related matters.

The participants discussed the proposed financial models and implementation plan to materialize the project through Public-Private Partnership on Build, Operate and Transfer Basis and approved to start the process. The chief minister stated that he would also try to make this project a part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor portfolio.

He said keeping in view the increasing volume of traffic on Swat Motorway Phase-I, it is easy to predict that Phase-II of the project is feasible. Mahmood Khan underlined the need to establish an economic zone near the Swat Motorway and hoped the region would emerge as trade and economic hub in the coming future. Earlier, the forum was informed that the Swat Motorway Phase-II initially would consist of four lanes extendable to six lanes in future.

Interchanges planed for the project include Chakdara Interchange, Shamozai Interchange, Barikot Interchange, Takhtaband Interchange, Kanju Interchange, Malam Jabba Interchange, Sher Palam Interchange, Matta-Khwazkhela Interchange and Madyan Interchange Fatehpur.

The average distance amongst the interchanges is 10 Km and link highways would also be provided where needed.

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 60.5 billion, including the cost of Rs 20.5 billion for land & Resettlement and construction cost of Rs 37.2 billion.