Islamabad Highway widening: Five firms shortlisted for construction contract

Technical bids likely to be opened on May 20.

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority has pre-qualified five construction firms for the Rs21.8 billion Islamabad Highway widening project.

As many as seven construction firms had expressed interest in undertaking the project after the CDA advertised the project. Only five firms that include two Chinese construction companies have been shortlisted.

The firms include National Logistics Cell (NLC), Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), Zahir Khan and Brothers (ZKB), and two construction consortiums, — Shanghai Construction group in partnership with Maqbool Associates, and Maksons Constructions and China Railway First Group in partnership with Technical Constructions.

The Development Working Party of the CDA has recently approved PC-1 of the project.

The city managers have decided to divide the approximately 24-kilometres-long highway’s widening project into two construction packages. Package-I includes widening and rehabilitation of the highway from Zero Point to Koral (Airport Chowk), while construction package-II includes widening of the highway between Koral up to Rawat.

“Successful firms have been issued bidding documents. Most likely technical bids of the firms will be opened on May 20,” director of the project, Nauman Sheikh said.

The CDA has already granted Rs220 million consultancy contract for the project to a consortium of three private consultant firms, — Zeerak, Moya, and M Iqbal Haque and associates.

Sheikh added that the consultants would evaluate the technical bids, a process that would consume around two weeks after opening of bids on May 20 and firms qualifying for the project on technical grounds would be asked to submit financial bids.

He said that it was yet to be decided if both the construction packages would be executed simultaneously or would be undertaken in phases.

According to the CDA estimates, package-I, which the CDA intends to execute at the earliest would cost around Rs9 billion. The civic agency earlier intended to execute this project on deferred payment basis, — a financial model where firms initiate the project utilising their financial resources and are paid back at a later stage.

Islamabad Highway widening project includes development of a signal-free, controlled-access corridor consisting of five-lane dual carriageway. If the project goes ahead, point-to-point driving time would fall to 15 minutes from Zero Point to Rawat.

According to traffic estimates, the expanded highway would be able to manage the traffic load on the route for the next two decades.

Two new interchanges, — at Airport Chowk and Rawat are also part of the project, while three flyovers, — one each in Sector I-8, Faizabad Interchange, and Defense Housing Authority will also be part of the project.

Underpasses and overhead bridges at Kuri Road, PWD Colony, Japan Road, Korang, and Soan are also planned.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2015.