The provincial government has approved the construction of the Dir Motorway under public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement. The approximate cost is Rs. 69 billion.
The approval was made at a meeting of the committee for public-private partnership on Saturday. The session was chaired by the Chief Minister Muhammad Suhail Afridi.
During the meeting, it was announced that the motorway will be 29 kilometres long. It will connect the Chakdara Interchange to Baroon in Lower Dir district.
After approval, Afridi directed the authorities to immediately start acquiring land for the project. He also requested officials to establish definite targets to ensure the execution and completion were on track.
The Chief Minister also issued a general consent. He requested the relevant departments to suggest changes in the existing PPP scheme of KP to expedite various development projects in the province.
This is not the only project progressing down the Dir Motorway. KP has already finished the Swat Motorway Phase-I, which was built for about Rs. 82-kilometers in the same way. The value of the asset is 34.2 billion and it will be under a 25-year concession period before it is returned to the province.
The concession of the Swat Motorway Phase 2 has been awarded as well. This 80 kilometre route is from Chakdara to Fatehpur with an estimated cost of Rs. Now stands at $36.4 billion, with financial close and a Viability Gap Fund for the project still to be finalized.
The approximately 365 km-long Peshawar–Dera Ismail Khan Motorway. It has also received approval using the PPP approach and the finance department is responsible to get the money for land acquisition.
This is the newest green light after another project from the KP in the northern region, the Dir-Chitral Motorway. The estimated cost of that project is Rs. This number is 63 billion, but they were only given a symbolic Rs. The Provincial budget continues to increase the allocation by 1,000 for 2026-27.
Up till now, no specifics have been released regarding the financing plan and construction schedule of the Dir-Chitral project. Analysts report that sometimes a project is left on the books until plans are finalized in private, but the difference has still been subject to public and political wrangling.
In contrast, the recent approval of the Dir Motorway has already been given a definite cost, a fixed path and explicit directions to commence land acquisition, making it a step ahead in terms of actual progress.
The motorway will benefit the residents of Lower Dir and other parts of Malakand by providing them a faster and safer means of transport, as the existing road system is overcrowded and has problems. This improved connectivity also links to larger objectives like enhancing trade, tourism, and connectivity to areas like Dir, Chitral, and Swat.
The next steps will ultimately rely on land acquisition speed, the nature of the PPP partnership, and if the agreed framework is actually followed to shorten the time to construction.
