With the delay of more than 10 years, Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-I) will be opened for traffic on Tuesday (today). President Pervez Musharraf will grace the opening ceremony of the much-awaited project, Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Major General Imtiaz Ahmed told a news conference here on Monday.
Briefing the media persons, Imtiaz Ahmed said M-I project will be operationalised from Tuesday, however, it would be fully completed till June 2008.
The National Highway Authority (NHA) has remained under severe criticism over an inordinate delay in completion of the mega project that has resultantly inflated the cost of project. The project escaped many controversies including the termination of the contract awarded to a Turkish firm-Bayindir.
Responding to a question, NHA chairman said two sections; Islamabad-Burhan and Rashakai-Charsadda are already open for the traffic. Whereas, he continued, the remaining sections of 154-Kilometer M-I project would now also be opened. M-I consists of three major river bridges, 10 interchanges and the design speed is 120 km/hr.
Imtiaz was of the opinion that the mega project would not only play important role with regard to the development of the National Trade Corridor, but it would also help turning the proposed plan of Asian Highway network into a reality.
After lots of controversies, the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway project has now completed by a consortium of Pakistani contractors with the total cost of Rs 36 billion.