Work Begins on New Rs. 600 Million Road Project
Work has begun on the Bakrial Road project in Mansehra, which will connect the Hazara Expressway and the Karakoram Highway with the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, providing tourists easier access to Kaghan Valley.
Mohammad Bilal, a sub-divisional officer of the Communication and Works (C&W) Department, told reporters that authorities had allocated Rs. 600 million for the project. He said the seven-kilometer road would divert traffic away from Mansehra city and help reduce congestion.
A joint team from the district administration and the C&W Department, led by Assistant Commissioner Mansehra Sana Fatima, visited the site to review construction progress. Fatima directed department officials and the contractor to expedite work under the annual development program.
The road aims to facilitate people traveling from across the country through the Hazara Expressway and the Karakoram Highway to Balakot tehsil, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan via Kaghan Valley.
During the visit, the team also reviewed payments for land acquired for the project and discussed other related issues. Bilal said the road would pass through the New Balakot City housing project, which authorities developed for families displaced by the devastating 2005 earthquake in Balakot’s red-zone area.