Aleem orders NHA to work with foreign experts on road engineering, highway design

ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan instructed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to collaborate with foreign experts on enhancing road engineering and highway design. The meeting, presided over by Aleem, covered NHA's ongoing and upcoming projects, revenue growth, road safety, and development programs.

The minister emphasized that ensuring road safety must be the utmost priority, highlighting concerns about the design of the M-4 and other highways. He directed NHA to recruit foreign experts to improve road engineering and construct highways that meet modern international standards. During the discussion, Aleem revealed that the NHA had met its revenue enhancement goal set two years ago.

Going forward, the NHA will construct new roads using revenue from existing streams. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was expected to inaugurate significant road projects in the coming months, including the Lodhran–Multan Expressway and the Peshawar Northern Bypass. The Sialkot–Kharian Motorway and the Karachi–Quetta–Chaman Pakistan Expressway (N-25) were also progressing.

Aleem expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of the Lahore–Gujranwala GT Road, instructing NHA to take immediate action to improve it. The federal minister was updated on the NHA's available funds for the M-6 Motorway, PSDP projects, and projects nationwide. The meeting learned that the NHA managed merely 3.13% of Pakistan's road network, yet more than 80% of the country's traffic traversed it.

The authority would soon present its performance to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharaf over the past two and a half years. The federal secretary for communications, Ali Sher Mahsud, and NHA Chairman Sheheryar Sultan briefed the meeting on ongoing and proposed projects. It was decided that the federal government would provide Rs108 billion in funding for NHA projects in Balochistan.