ISLAMABAD: Sixteen major road, highway and motorway projects across Pakistan are nearing completion and are expected to open for traffic after the required formalities and final works are completed.
The progress was reviewed during a meeting on National Highway Authority (NHA) projects chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. The projects include road upgrades, new interchanges, additional carriageways and reconstruction works in different regions.
Among the projects approaching completion is the upgrade of the GT Road from Tee Chowk Islamabad to Banth. The remodelling of Islamabad Chungi No. 26 Interchange and the extension of Margalla Avenue from GT Road towards the M-1 Motorway are also included.
Other major schemes include the Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad section of the M-4 Motorway, Quetta Western Bypass, Pindi Gheb-Jand Road and the Bhong Interchange on the M-5 Multan-Sukkur Motorway.
Work is also nearing completion on the Nokandi-Mashkhel Road and the conversion of Old Bannu Road into a dual carriageway. Several sections of the Indus Highway N-55 are also being upgraded.
These N-55 projects include the Sehwan-San section, Ratodero-Shikarpur section and an additional carriageway on the Pataro-Sindh section.
The meeting was also informed about an increase in NHA revenue. Collections rose from Rs. 109 billion to Rs. 130 billion during the previous fiscal year, while the authority expects revenue to reach Rs. 160 billion during the current fiscal year.
Several major projects are being financed through NHA’s own revenue. These include the Sialkot-Kharian Motorway M-12, Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway M-13, Peshawar Northern Bypass, reconstruction of the Jaglot-Skardu Road, the M-4 upgrade and the Multan-Lodhran section of N-5.
The prime minister directed authorities to conduct third-party audits of ongoing NHA projects. He also called for greater use of public-private partnerships to develop national highways, motorways and expressways.
Several new schemes are also moving towards launch. These include the Kharian-Rawalpindi M-13, Sukkur-Hyderabad M-6 and rehabilitation works on selected sections of the GT Road and N-5.
The government is also examining the proposed Guru Nanak Expressway between Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib. Another proposed project is the Mansehra-Chilas Expressway through Naran, which could significantly shorten the road distance between the two cities.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said improved road connectivity is important for economic activity and directed authorities to give priority to links serving remote areas. Better transport infrastructure is expected to support travel, trade and access to markets across the country.
