ISLAMABAD, May 6: Federal Minister for Communications Mohammad Shamim Siddiqui on Saturday said that the government would spend about Rs6 billion during the next six years on building and rehabilitation of the road network in the country.

He was speaking at a one-day seminar on bridges at NHA Auditorium.

He said rehabilitation and dualization work of National Highway (N-5) (G.T. Road), Hassanabdal-Mansehra road, Mansehra to Thakot and up to Khunjarab Pass, M-9 (Karachi-Hyderabad Super Highway) and 1,800-km Indus Highway which would provide an alternative road link between Karachi to Peshawar was the priorities of the ministry.

National Highway Authority (NHA) had organized the one-day seminar on the bridges with the objective to introducing new developments in the Bridge Engineering technology that are taking place around the world.

The key speaker was the prominent scholar Dr. V. K, Raina.

Shamim Siddqui said that Dr Raina was a well-known figure in bridge engineering in the world who has written many books on engineering.

He said the NHA has 6000 bridges on its inventory and the percentage of damage was less than 0.1 per cent. It is noteworthy that during the October 8, 2005 earthquake no single bridge constructed by NHA was damaged.

Dr. VK Raina is technical Advisor for Bahrain-Qatar Sea- Link Causeway project, one of the longest bridges in the world being built.

Dr Raina delivered three lectures to the engineers, contractors, consultants and designers of the NHA. He said bridge construction was a far more challenging job than road construction.

He gave a detailed briefing on the Conceptual Design and Aesthetics of Bridges and Trends in Flyover Structures.

Minister of State for Communications Engr. M. Shahid Jamil Qureshi in his closing speech appreciated Dr V K Raina for sharing his vast experience with the NHA.— APP