Construction Monitoring & Evaluation Program: Strengthening & Improvement of Peshawar – Torkham Road (N-5), Khyber Agency, FATA

The project is part of a larger contract that includes the construction monitoring and evaluation services of 107 schools and 100-200 kilometers of roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The road connects Pakistan with Afghanistan at the Torkham border and plays a crucial role in economic activities and providing timely logistic support to security agencies deployed in Khyber Agency. The project is funded by a USAID grant and implemented by FATA Secretariat through FWO (Frontier Works Organization) as the EPC (Engineer, Procure, and Construct) Contractor. FATA/FWO has retained the services of M/S NESPAK as the Project Consultants to design and supervise the construction work, while USAID has engaged M/S AGES as M&E Consultants to monitor and report on the quality and progress of the project. The project is anticipated to be completed by December 31, 2014. The 46-kilometer Peshawar Torkham road has been divided into five sections to facilitate timely completion of the project. However, the contractor has only initiated work on section-I (kilometer 0 to 9) and section-II (kilometer 9 to 18). Construction activities at section-I were initiated by FWO on October 15, 2012, with a total progress of work by the end of the last month (March 2013) at 5.83%. The progress of work significantly increased during the reporting month, resulting in an overall progress of 10.88%. Major activities and accomplishments by the end of April 2013 include the mobilization of the Material Testing Laboratory by M&E Consultants, quality control tests conducted by FWO and M&E Consultants, and significant progress in earthwork, sub-base preparation, culverts, retaining walls, and drainage and erosion works. The contractor has also started activities in section-II, including earthwork, sub-base preparation, and traffic diversion, despite the non-submission of requisite documents for review and approval. The project has faced several impediments, including the non-availability of project documents, which has been an outstanding issue despite reminders to FWO/NESPAK. The M&E Consultants have recommended that FWO/NESPAK should provide the required documents for review and approval to facilitate the progress of the project. Additionally, the contractor should submit the requisite documents for review and approval to ensure the timely completion of the project. The project has made significant progress in various areas, including earthwork, sub-base preparation, culverts, retaining walls, and drainage and erosion works. The contractor has also started activities in section-II, including earthwork, sub-base preparation, and traffic diversion. However, the non-availability of project documents remains an outstanding issue that needs to be addressed to facilitate the progress of the project.