Construction begins on 6.2km Kabul-Bagram road at cost of 455afs

KABUL (Pajhwok): The government on Thursday launched construction of a 6.2-kilometer stretch of the Kabul–Bagram road, a key transport corridor linking the capital to northern provinces, at a cost of more than 455 million Afghanis.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the start of work on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar described the route as one of Kabul’s main arterial roads, connecting the city with Parwan province and other northern regions.

He said the road is part of the core transport infrastructure of the New Kabul City project and is critical to urban expansion, social activity and economic growth.

Baradar also said Afghanistan had previously been divided along political, ethnic, regional and linguistic lines, weakening national unity, and added that the Islamic Emirate is working to address those divisions.

According to the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, the Kabul–Bagram main road under the New Kabul City project will be approximately 43 kilometers long and 100 meters wide.

The ministry said the 6.2-kilometer section contracted for this year will be about 50 meters wide, with the remaining portions to be awarded in the coming years.

sa