Karachi: Revised PC-1 for Karachi Northern Bypass approved

[Naveed Yaseen]

TAHIR AMIN
ISLAMABAD (January 28 2009): National Highway Executive Board has approved the revised PC-1 for Karachi Northern Bypass, which is estimated to cost Rs 5.4 billion and recommended it for approval by CDWP and the ECNEC. Executive Board meeting of NHA held here on Tuesday was presided by Chaudhry Iltaf Ahmad, Chairman NHA in which progress on construction projects in different parts of the country was reviewed.

Chairman NHA said that work on Faisalabad-Multan motorway (M-4) will start soon and the project would be completed in three years. The chairman informed the meeting that with the completion of M-4 the people will have motorway facility from Peshawar to Multan. He said that NHA was diligently working to implement the National Trade Corridor concept that envisaged a network of motorway and expressways all over Pakistan.

He said that the government had released funds required for land acquisition on Khanewal-Lodharan Expressway (E-5). The chairman informed the meeting that under the Multan package, the government was paying special attention on development projects in southern part of Punjab.

He said that NHA had completed the design work for Head Mohammad Wala Bridge and work on the project would get underway very soon. He said the project would bring numerous benefits to the people of Multan and other cities. He said the bridge would reduce the distance by 40 km between Khushab and Multan besides providing linkages with Mianwali Alipur Tehsil. He said that efforts are being made to complete the projects in time at minimum possible cost.

He also apprised the meeting about various steps NHA had taken to improve safety of drivers and to modernise the process of toll collection on national highways. The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary Finance Mohammad Ayub Khan Tarin, IG Motorway Police Khawaja Khalid Farooq, Chief NTRC, Kazim Idress, Memebr Finance NHA Zafar Iqbal Gondal and Member Planning SA Latif.

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