The Government has announced to start of the construction work of the Karachi-Quetta highway project with an estimated cost of about Rs200 billion. It is a 790km long highway with an additional carriageway and rehabilitation of the existing road to make it a four-lane divided carriage highway.
This project possesses great significance in trade activity between the two provinces. The highway is a connection to Gwadar that passes through several towns of Balochistan. It will serve as a major link for Balochistan, connecting it with the rest of the country. It will provide better transport facilities to the people and will generate employment opportunities for the locals.
In Balochistan, there is a dire need for a proper highway as the existing highway is a single carriage highway with two narrow lines without a divider, causing severe road accidents. Balochistan needs proper highways and motorways like the other three provinces.
The present government is spending on road development projects as they are important for the elevation of the country. In Pakistan, the road network carries 96% of passenger traffic. The National Highway Authority (NHA) is responsible for the nationwide construction, planning, and maintenance of motorways, highways, strategic roads, bridges, and flyovers. Recently, the NHA has carried out major road development projects and has managed to increase its toll by 36% over the past years.
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