The Executive Board of the National Highway Authority approved award of work for dualization and improvement of Old Bannu Road during a meeting held at NHA head office today with Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar in the chair. The project is divided into three packages.

The first package (Domail to Khurrum) is 40 km long and was awarded to the Frontier Works Organization ( the lowest evaluated bidder) at the bid price of Rs. 7.132 billion. This is 5.43% below the Engineer’s estimate.

The second package (Khurrum to Krapa) is 35 km long and was awarded to the Frontier Works Organization ( the lowest evaluated bidder) at the bid price of Rs. 5.927 billion. This is 8.63% below the Engineer’s estimate.

The third package (Gaandi Chowk to Sarai Naurang) is 8 km long and was awarded to M/s NCC-IKAN-HRPL JVthe ( the lowest evaluated bidder) at the bid price of Rs. 0.718 billion. This is 23% below the Engineer’s estimate.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman NHA said the development of infrastructure in the smaller provinces was among the top most priorities. He informed the meeting that the existing road was single carriage which will be dualized and improved. He said the project would provide the heavy traffic movement on Indus Highway (N-55) with an alternate route from Gaandi Chowk to Krapa thus sharing the traffic burden with N-55. He said the project ran through the less developed areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and would contribute their economic uplift through accelerated trade activities. He said a number of other important road projects, including the Western Corridor and Hazara Motorway (E-35), were under construction in the province whose timely completion was NHA’s top priority. He said the project would be financed through Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and completed in two years.