The official sources revealed that the National Highway Executive Board recommended revised PC-1 for construction of Faisalabad-Khanewal Motorway (M-4) (184km) at the cost of Rs 60.823 million for approval by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP)/Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The project will be financed by the government of Pakistan and the ADB in co-financing with the DFID/AIIB. Motorway M-4 (Faisalabad-Khanewal) 184km was planned as an important link of national trade corridor to provide a high speed between southern sea ports with north of the country as well as to facilitate inter-regional trade.
The original PC-1 of 4-lane M-4 amounting to Rs 28.564 billion was approved by the ECNEC on February 06, 2008. Justifying the delay in the project implementation, the NHA maintained that as per original PC-1, all sections of M-4 were planned to commence simultaneously and complete in 3 years (2008-2011) but they could not be started simultaneously. The financing arrangements could not be made timely for all packages. Loan for only Section-1 was signed with the ADB in December 2008, whereas, loans for Sec-II & III were signed in October 2015 and June 2016 respectively.
Stringent land acquisition policies of the ADB caused further delay in implementation of Package-1 and other Packages. The ADB stopped work at Package-1 after mobilization of contractor citing unsatisfactory implementation of LARP. Thereafter, the NHA mobilized contractors at Package-II & III after NOC by the ADB which delayed the project.
Justifying the revised PC-1, the NHA said that number of crossing structures was given much less in original PC-1, while more were required at the site. Such increase in structures resulted increase in profile as well. All the structures have been extended to 6-lane in revised PC-1, while they were planned as 4-lane in original PC-1. The shoulders have been extended from 3m to 3.65m, so that full lane width is available in case of extension.
All interchanges have been made 6-lane for smooth operation during future extension of existing 4-lane Motorway to 6-lane facility, besides addition of 4km long 6-lane wide landing strip for PAF. Major changes like revised x-section having 4-lane Motorway with 6-lane structures, conversion of flyovers into underpasses, requirement of additional structures and time/cost overruns necessitated this revised PC-1 amounting to Rs 60.823 billion which is based on contract costs.