Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to engage foreign experts to improve road engineering and highway design and bring new highways in line with modern international standards.
Khan issued the directive during a high-level meeting that reviewed the NHA’s ongoing and proposed projects, revenue enhancement, road safety, development programs and financial matters.
The minister expressed reservations about the design of the M-4 and other highways and stressed that Pakistan’s roads should be safe and comfortable for motorists. He said protecting human lives must remain the top priority in highway construction.
Khan directed NHA engineering staff to adopt international best practices and work toward safer and more comfortable motorway designs. He also ordered officials to strengthen road safety through improved engineering in new highway projects.
The meeting was informed that the NHA manages only 3.13% of Pakistan’s road network, but more than 80% of the country’s traffic travels on this network. Officials also briefed Khan on funding for the M-6 Motorway, projects under the Public Sector Development Program and NHA projects across all four provinces.
The minister said the NHA had achieved its revenue enhancement target set two years ago and would use revenue from existing sources to construct new roads. The meeting also decided to approach the federal government for Rs. 108 billion to fund NHA projects in Balochistan.
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