Asim Amin, Public Private Partnership Member of the National Highway Authority (NHA), stated that the financial issues for developing the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway have been resolved, and the megaproject will be completed in less than two and a half years.
Amin stated in an open court session that the land acquisition work for the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway is nearing completion and that the required land has been paid to the Sindh government.
He added that there was a recent delay in the projects, but that the construction process has been accelerated and that NHA has accomplished 50 percent of the building work.
The public is going to experience the high quality of the national highways in the next three months, he said, adding that travellers will notice a significant difference between the Grand Trunk Road and the Indus Highway from Khyber to Sindh.
He stated that the contract with the World Bank for the development of the Expressway has been finalised and that a short list of vendors has been prepared, who will be contacted soon.
Meanwhile, an NHA official told the media that the 306-kilometre-long megaproject would include a major bridge over the Indus River, 6 flyovers, 10 service areas, 15 interchanges, 19 overpass bridges, and 82 bridges over canals.
He stated that in addition to the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, a 61-kilometre service road will be built. He added that the project would cost Rs307 billion and that once completed, a maximum speed of 120 kilometres would be permitted.
An official said that the highway would pass through Hyderabad, Matiari, Jamshoro, Benazirabad, Khairpur, Naushahro Feroze, and Sukkur districts. He stated that every 50 kilometres, service and rest areas would also be built on both sides of the highway.
He also said that the development of M-6 was a long-standing demand of the Sindh people that were met during the current democratic government. The government was working hard to build a strong infrastructure for development, the official claimed.