pk-china-user In another significant development, the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) has acquired 750 acres of land for the construction of Gwadar Eastbay Expressway Phase II, which will extend from the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) to Gwadar Port.
The land acquisition was completed last week under the Gwadar Master Plan through the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2026-27.
Gwadar Eastbay Expressway Phase II was approved during the 8th Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on Gwadar under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in 2025. Under the PSDP, the federal government has also allocated Rs 200 million for the construction of the project.
The meeting was chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, who serves as the convener of the JWG on Gwadar. The project’s PC-I had already been approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) for funding through grant-in-aid.
The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 30.13 billion, with 95 percent of the financing to be provided through Chinese grant-in-aid under CPEC. China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) will carry out the construction of the expressway.
The second phase is planned as a 13.8-kilometre dual carriageway with six lanes, including four paved lanes. It will directly connect the New Gwadar International Airport with the existing Eastbay Expressway, facilitating smooth and high-speed cargo transportation to Gwadar Port. The project also includes supporting infrastructure such as a toll plaza, drainage system, lighting, fencing and security towers. The road is considered crucial for strengthening Gwadar’s role as a logistics hub and improving port operations.
Gwadar Eastbay Expressway Phase I was completed and became operational on June 3, 2022. The approximately 19-kilometre, six-lane road serves as the main artery of Gwadar Port, carrying the port’s entire traffic and supporting the vision of transforming Gwadar into a regional logistics and economic hub in line with the objectives of CPEC.
Phase I of the Eastbay Expressway was completed at a cost of USD 168 million. It provides primary connectivity between Gwadar Port, Free Zone I and Free Zone II, the Makran Coastal Highway (N-10), and Motorway 8, part of CPEC’s western route, ensuring smooth transportation of import, export and transit goods towards Khunjerab, on the China border. The project was approved by ECNEC on January 12, 2015, while the contract agreement between the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) was signed on September 24, 2017.
