Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan chaired a key meeting of the National Highway Authority (NHA) approving a series of major infrastructure initiatives aimed at modernising Pakistan’s motorway network and improving long-term travel capacity.
The officials of the session decided to initiate the upgrading of the Lahore Sialkot Motorway by increasing the two-lane road to a three-lane one to be able to meet the ever-growing traffic and transportation needs in the future.
The minister also instructed the government to speed up the completion of the Sialkot Kharian and Islamabad motorway projects, concluding that both roads would be developed as three-lane dual carriageways with the revised development standards.
Underlining the proactive approach to infrastructure planning Abdul Aleem Khan declared a new national policy according to which all new motorways will be constructed with at least three lanes on each side that will provide a six-lane layout to satisfy the increased mobility requirements in the country.
He also ordered the NHA to accelerate the completion of the Sialkot Rawalpindi Motorway in liaison with the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).
The officials state that the completion of this corridor should reduce the congestion on the M-2 Motorway and offer a better and more efficient means of travelling between Lahore and Islamabad.
The authorities opined that the new alignment would reduce the travel distance between the two cities by almost 100 kilometres, which could save commuters close to one hour in travelling time.
It was also noted during the meeting that there were plans to improve religious tourism by linking Kartarpur and Nankana Sahib with the national motorway network. These roads will be equipped with the current safety routes, such as safety fencing and wider roads, to help in the smooth movement of pilgrims.
It was emphasised by the fact that economic advantages the communications minister claimed connectivity to religious sites might bring about a considerable number of Sikh pilgrims to Europe, North America and other places.
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