Rawalpindi: The construction work on the 23-kilometre-long Leh Expressway project will commence after the last rain of the monsoon season, a news source reported. The four-lane expressway, expected to be completed in two years, will feature a track for mono train as well.
Previously, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed had announced that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan would lay the foundation stone for the Leh Expressway project in August.
Due to frequent delays in its construction, the project is now estimated to cost PKR billion. In 2007, estimates had been calculated at PKR 18 billion. A major reason behind the surge in cost has been attributed to the increase in petrol and building material prices.
The planned route, which was previously 17km long, will run between Sawan Adda and Peshawar Mor. Moreover, the land for Leh Expressway was recently acquired.
The project will be developed on a Built-Operate-Transfer basis. For this purpose, related details on the BOT model will be finalised with the Chinese and Pakistani firms chosen for the project by the first week of August. Reportedly, by following the BOT construction mode, the concerned authorities can save 85% of the project cost.
