NHA upgradation projects of CPEC
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ISLAMABAD: (APP) National Highway Authority (NHA) is striving for early completion of the projects to provide connectivity to Gawadar Port, besides upgrading Karakoram Highway at a fast pace.
The NHA has upgraded the Karakoram Highway's Khunjerab-Raikot section which forms part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The 335-kilometre section of the KKH has been upgraded by China Road and Bridge Corporation with a cost of $ 510 million, says an official of National Highway Authority.
He said the remaining portion (459 km) of the KKH from Raikot to Islamabad has been divided into three sub-sections i.e. Raikot-Thakot, Thakot-Havelian and Havelian-Islamabad.
He said the Thakot-Havalian section of KKH is already under construction. The ground-breaking of the 120-kilometer section was done in April and it is expected to be completed in 42 months with a cost of Rs 133.98 billion. China Exim bank will fund 90 per cent of the project, while the remainder will be funded by
Pakistan.
Similarly, the 59-km Burhan-Havelian section, also called Hazara Motorway, is being constructed and will be completed by the end of 2017, with a cost of Rs. 34 billion, he said.
The upgradation of the KKH will not only promote tourism in the picturesque Gilgit-Baltistan but it will also generate economic activities for the local people, he said.
