The cost of construction of the expressway on the East Bay of Gwadar Port in Pakistan has soared from PKR3.763bn ($43m) to PKR6.274bn ($72m), an increase of 67%.

According to the official document concerning the project, the technical appraisal wing of the Planning Commission noted that the original cost of the project was $43m when the project was earlier approved in 2006.

The Ministry of Port and Shipping, the sponsoring agency for the project, and Gwadar Port Implementation Authority (GPIA), have proposed an increase in the scope of the project by 37%.

Under the revised PC-1, the length of the expressway has increased from 13.82km to 18.98km, with a six-lane dual carriageway expressway with 1m inner and 3m outer hard shoulders.

The expressway will commence from a new road linking the port with the city, and terminates at Makran Coastal Highway, according to the Pakistan Observer.