Recarpeting, Renovation Work Of M-2 Nearing Completion

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published August 22, 2016 | 08:33 PM

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22th August, 2016) : Recarpeting and renovation work of Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) scheduled to be completed by December this year has been nearly completed. Talking to APP here on Monday an official of National Highway Authority said that expect for a couple of patches the recarpetting process of the motorway has been completed and remaining work will be accomplished within next few weeks. It is worth mentioning that total cost of the project is Rs. 30.935 billion which includes renovation of toll plazas, weigh stations workshops as well and the total length of the M-2 being recarpetted is 714 Kms. The official said the expenditures incurred on re-carpeting of the M-2 was made from the revenue generated through toll tax,therefore no expenditure is made from the other development heads of the NHA. Renovation and overlay work on the M-2 had started in January last year by M/s MORE (FWO),the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) concessionaire of the project.

The M-2 was handed over to FWO on December 15,2014 for operation and maintenance for the next 20 years.

Signing ceremony of the BOT agreement between the NHA and the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) for re-designing and beautification of Lahore- Islamabad Motorway (M-2) was held in April 2014. The NHA said that the overlaying, fencing, beautification of the road would make travel along it all the more a wonderful experience. He said that the government was not seeking any loans from abroad for the construction of the road.

On the contrary, the FWO would pay an amount of Rs 206 billion to the government of Pakistan over the agreement period, besides looking after the road.