KHOST CITY (PAN): Construction work on the Khost-Ghulam Khan highway was officially launched at a ceremony in southeastern Khost province on Thursday, an official said.
The 25-kilometer road, a $10.5 million American-funded project, would take 17 months to complete, Governor Abdul Jabbar Naeemi told Pajhwok Afghan News.
He said the construction project would facilitate hundreds of commercial goods carrying vehicles plying the route on a daily basis and other drivers and commuters.
Public Works Department head Eng Mamor Shah said the construction process would be closely monitored to ensure quality was maintained.
He said the road had very importance for Khost because of the transit trade with Pakistan.
The Ghulam Khan is the third most important border crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan after Spin Boldak in Kandahar and Torkham in Nangahar.
Shah said construction work on a customs office in the area had been in progress since last year along the highway.
Local officials say so far $5 million has been spent on the customs office building, which is near completion.
The governor said a friendship gate on the border crossing would also be built.
A trader in Khost, Mohammad Basir, said they faced many problems in transporting commercial goods because of the road’s rundown condition and the lack of a transit system.
He said proper a transit system would help resolve many problems facing Afghan traders.
mds/ma
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