Work on initial two sections of Hassanabdal-Havelian Motor-way, commonly known as Hazara Motorway, is in full swing, which will become operational in September next year.
According to an NHA official, the 20 kilometer Package-I, which starts from Burhan and ends at Jarikas and the 20 kilometer Package-II, which starts from Jarikas and ends at Sarai Saleh, are under execution at a fast speed. He said the total length of Hazara Motorway from Hassanabdal to Havelian would be 59.1 km. The project would have five interchanges with toll plazas at their entrance / exit points. The official said land acquisition proceedings had been completed and out of total 44 affected villages, six were located in Punjab while the rest were in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa.
He said the contract for the construction of Sarai Saleh-Havelian section under for Package-III had recently been awarded and the contractor had mobilised machinery at the site. This section would be completed by December 2017 and the motorway would become fully operational by the end of next year, he added.
The official said with the completion of the motorway, the people of Hazara Division would be able to play an active role in trade, tourism, industry and agricultural sectors that would ultimately boost the country's economy.