KP Govt Approves New 29-Kilometre Motorway

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Committee has approved the construction of the 29-kilometre Dir Motorway, which will connect Chakdara Interchange with Baroon in Lower Dir district at an estimated cost of Rs. 69 billion.

Chief Minister Sohail Afridi chaired the committee meeting, where members approved the project and directed the relevant authorities to immediately begin acquiring the required land, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.

The chief minister also instructed the departments concerned to prepare clear implementation timelines to ensure the motorway is completed on schedule and opened to the public as early as possible.

Afridi directed officials to propose amendments to the existing Public-Private Partnership framework to speed up the execution of development projects and reduce implementation timelines under the PPP model.

He described the Dir Motorway as a major initiative of the provincial government led by PTI founder Imran Khan for the people of the Malakand division. He said the project would reduce travel time, lower fuel consumption and transportation costs, and generate significant economic benefits for local communities.

The chief minister added that the motorway would promote tourism by improving access to remote tourist destinations across Malakand, creating new employment opportunities and supporting the region’s socioeconomic development.

During the meeting, the committee also reviewed progress on the Peshawar–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and Swat Motorway Phase II projects and discussed measures to ensure their timely completion.