MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Some residents in northern Balkh province have complained about heavy traffic on the Mazar-i-Sharif- Shiberghan road and demanded the construction of a second lane.
This road connected Mazar-i-Sharif with Chaharboluk, Dawlatabad, Balkh and Cahai Chamtal districts of Balkh province as well as Jawzjan, Faryab and Sar-i-Pul provinces with Mazar-i-Sharif.
People mostly complained about traffic congestion in Kifayat Square, Zaraat and Nawabad areas and demanded the expansion of the road.
The residents of Mazar-i-Sharif said that the past government allocated funds for this project but due to unknown reasons work on this project could not resumed.
Babrak, a resident of Mazar-i-Sharif, said the Shiberghan-Mazar-i-Sharif road is one of the important carriageways because it connected the provincial capital with several districts and provinces such as Jawzjan, Faryab and Sar-i-Pul province.
The traffic congestion along the road has caused many problems for the people and requested the government to expand the road.
Sayed Emal, another resident of Mazar-i-Sharif, said: “We request the government to build this road as soon as possible, there is a lot of traffic from Kifait Square to Balkh district and people are stuck on this road for hours.”
Khudai Nazar, one of the drivers of the Balkh-Faryab road, told Pajhwok Afghan News besides five districts of Balkh Province, Chaharbulak, Chamtal, Chahi, Daulatabad and Balkh, vehicles from the three northern provinces of Jawzjan, Sar-i-Pul and Faryab also traveled on the Jawzjan highway due to which traffic congestion had increased.
Sher Mohammad, another driver, said: “The travel distance is 40 minutes but sometimes it increased by two hours, sometimes patients do not reach the hospital on time, if this carriageway is doubled it would benefit common people.”
Local Balkh officials acknowledged the problems faced by the masses due to traffic congestion on the Shiberghan-Mazar-i-Sharif road.
Mazar-i-Sharif Mayor Mohammad Kazim Tariq said: “Yes, there is traffic congestion from the Quran-i-Sharif Square, the five minutes districts take one hour, we have been prepared to address this problem this year.”
He said the budget for the construction of the second lane road had been approved and work would be launched soon.
Balkh residents demanded the construction of the second lane Mazar-i-Sharif-Jawzjan road at a time when work on similar projects in other parts of the country had already launched.
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