NHA building 82 highways, National Trade Corridor

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The participants of 11th Senior National Management Course visited the NHA head office where NHA Motorways Member Raja Nowsherwan gave a detailed briefing about the functioning of the authority.
NHA’s Administration member Rana Naseer Ahmed was also present. Briefing the visiting guests, Nowsherwan said the NHA is implementing 82 highway schemes at a cost of Rs 569 billion, while 14 new projects are in the pipeline and will cost Rs 95 billion.
98 toll plazas have also been approved on the national highways, out of which 84 are already operational.
He stated that the NHA is striving for the availability of the National Trade Corridor (NTC), in the country. He said practical advancement is being made for achieving the north-south economic corridor to provide links with Gawadar and the up-gradation of the Karakoram Highway.
Under the NTC programme, the highways, motorways and expressways are being constructed from ports to borders with the view to provide links for transit trade.
The NTC will reduce 50 percent of the travelling time, decrease 10 percent of the transportation cost and reduce 70 percent of road fatalities. Rs 300 billion will be spent during the next five to seven years on the programme. Nowsherwan said the toll collection system is also being established on modern lines. He stated that to save the highways from overloading, weigh stations have been set up at specific locations to check vehicles.
In order to ensure the construction of durable roads, advanced technologies are being employed.
Faculty member of the management course appreciated the role of the NHA in the socio-economic uplift of the country.