Khunjerab-Raikot Section Of KKH Upgraded, Other Sections Being Built

On Priority

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published August 23, 2016 | 09:08 PM

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23th August, 2016) :National Highway Authority (NHA) has upgraded the Karakoram Highway's Khunjerab-Raikot section of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) which forms an important part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The 335-kilometre section of the KKH has been upgraded by China Road and Bridge Corporation at the cost of $ 510 million while its remaining sections are being built on priority, an official of NHA told APP on Tuesday.

He said that 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. The construction of road network at a fast pace reflects the policy of the government, not only to improve north-south connectivity but also provide all-weather linkage to neighboring China.

He said that the remaining 459 km portion 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 that the Thakot-Havalian section of KKH is already under construction. The ground-breaking of the 120-kilometre section was done in April and it is expected to be completed in 42 months at a cost of Rs 133.98 billion.

China Exim bank will fund 90 percent of the project, while the remainder will be funded by Pakistan. Similarly, 59-km Burhan-Havelian section, also called Hazara Motorway, is being built and will be completed by the end of 2017, at cost of Rs. 34 billion, he said.