Hit the road Jack: All drivers behind the wheel as Pak-Afghan Highway set to complete in Dec

JAMRUD: The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) had good news for traders and transporters on Monday – they said that the 44-kilometre (km) long Pak-Afghan Highway will be complete by the end of the year.

The highway will start from Karkhano Market and extend till the Torkham border.



According to the spokesperson of the organisation, Major Hussainullah, they started working on the highway in 2012 and the bit of road that stretches from Jamrud to the Bhagyari check post was now complete.

Going over details of the construction, he said the $67 million highway would be 44km long, 41 feet in width and sustainable for a period of 50 years. A workforce of nearly 700 was involved in trying to make sure they make their December deadline.

He shared if vehicles carrying a weight of more than 60 tonnes were to go over the highway, it would damage the structure. He warned transporters to be careful.

One of the issues they were facing, according to Major Hussainullah, was the risk of flashfloods in mountainous areas. He said that five main and 10 small bridges would be constructed on the highway at suitable locations.



He added that the highway would make cross border communication better and improve trade ties with Central Asian countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2014.