NHA project for dualization, up-gradation of Old Bannu Road continues

ISLAMABAD: National Highway Authority (NHA) is working on dualization and up-gradation project of 83 kilometre Old Bannu Road in

Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

An official of NHA told reporter on Monday that the project was part of

Indus Highway and the first package of the project, 40 kilometre

Domail – Khurrum portion was awarded to the Frontier Works

Organization (FWO) at the bid price of Rs 7.132 billion. Its work

started in February 2018 and so far about 26 per cent physical

progress has been achieved mainly due to lack of funds availability

, the official added.

He said its second package the 35 km Khurram-Krapa portion costing Rs

5.927 billion was awarded to the FWO. Its work had started in

February 2018 and so far about 19 per cent physical progress has been

achieved.

The third package of Old Bannu road, 8 kilometre Gaandi Chowk – Sarai

Naurang section was awarded to M/s NCC-IKAN-HRPL Joint Venture at the

bid price of Rs 0.718 billion. Work on the package also started in

February 2018 and so far over 73 per cent physical progress of the

project has been achieved.

He further said that the existing road was single carriageway which

was being dualised and improved. He said the project would provide

the heavy traffic movement on Indus Highway (N-55) with an alternate

route thus sharing the traffic burden with Indus Highway. The NHA

official said that the development of infrastructure in the less

developed areas would contribute to their economic uplift through

accelerated trade activities.

Indus Highway is 1, 264 km long that runs along the Indus River

connecting port city Karachi with Kohat and Peshawar

via D. G. Khan and D.I.Khan. The highway being the second largest road

connection after Grand Trunk Road, and provides an alternate

north-south link while traversing 491 km in Sindh, 360 km in Punjab

and 396 km in KPK, and connecting Rajanpur, D.G.Khan, D.I.Khan, Bannu,

Kohat and Peshawar.