PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to construct an elevated expressway from Motorway to Karkhano Market to resolve traffic problems in the provincial metropolis permanently.The chief minister approved the project here on Tuesday at a meeting after officials of Frontier Highway Authority briefed him about the multi-purpose road.He directed the officials to finalise feasibility report for the project within the shortest possible time to resolve traffic problems and provide better travelling facilities to people in the provincial metropolis.A source privy to the meeting told Dawn that the project would be completed with the financial assistance of foreign donors. The feasibility report would be prepared jointly by Peshawar Development Authority and FHA.“Though Khyber Road will be the shortest to construct elevated expressway over it, yet government will avoid demolishing the houses of army officers. It will prefer to construct it over Sher Shah Suri Road,” he said. The project will be completed in phases. In the first phase the road will constructed from Motorway to Firdous Chowk.The project will be completed within two and a half years with an estimated cost of Rs18 billion. “It will be the first project of its kind regarding urban development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the chief minister told the meeting.The meeting was also briefed about Swat Expressway from Chakdara to Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on Motorway and Mardan Northern Bypass Road.Additional Chief Secretary Attaullah Khan, Communication and Works Secretary Habib Ali, Finance Secretary Sahibzada Anees, Local Government Secretary Aurangzeb Khan, Environment Secretary, FHA Managing Director Engineer Zahid Arif, PDA Director General Qazi Laeq also attended the meeting.
Mr Arif briefed the meeting regarding objectives of the project, different options, its economic benefits and traffic management.He said that the project would minimise cost of vehicles` maintenance and travel time. He said that there were two options for construction of the elevated expressway.“The first priority is from Motorway to Karkhano Market via Khyber Road where access points will be constructed at Gulbahar, Firdous Chowk, Hayat Avenue, Town Chowk and Hayatabad Phase-III Chowk while the second is from Motorway to Karkhano Market via Sunehri Masjid Road and access points will be constructed at Gulbahar, Fridous Chowk, Stadium Chowk, Hayat Avenue, Town Chowk and Hayatabad Phase-III Chowk,” he added.The chief minister lauded the efforts of FHA managing director for preparing a comprehensive presentation of the project in a short time. He said the project would benefit people of Peshawar.The meeting was also informed that circle around Mardan city would complete with completion of Mardan Northern Bypass. The project will link Mardan eastern and western bypasses with Marjan and Jhanday villages – Dawn
