ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to conduct on Aug 14 the groundbreaking of a major expressway linking Karachi to Quetta and Chaman, being financed through a special tax on petroleum products.

The premier had increased petroleum levy on petroleum products by Rs8 per litre and announced that the funding would be used for building and upgrading the 815km road project, formerly known as RCD highway. The government has allocated Rs100 billion in the current year budget for the project.

Progress on the N-25 project was reviewed on Tuesday at a meeting, which was presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, with the representatives of the Ministry of Communications, National Highway Authority (NHA) and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) in attendance.

During the meeting, NHA officials updated the project’s status, highlighting that the dualisation of the Hub bypass had been added to the revised PC-1 project, following the recommendation by the communication minister on June 20. The revised PC-1 is expected to be submitted on Wednesday (July 2).

Revised plan for expressway from Karachi-Chaman will be submitted today

Earlier, in line with the government directives, the NHA had invited bids from state-owned enterprises (SOEs) on June 17, with bid opening scheduled on July 2. The FWO provided an update on the project’s progress, stating that work was being carried out in four sections. Notably, 68pc of the work on the 51km stretch from Jiwa to Surab had been completed.

Calling for immediate completion of required formalities, the planning minister “directed NHA that the groundbreaking ceremony be scheduled for Aug 14, 2025”, said an announcement.

He also reviewed plans for construction of service areas along the expressway and emphasised the need for well-designed facilities catering to the needs of truckers. “Well-equipped service areas should be constructed on both sides of the expressway, providing rest areas, fuel pumps, restaurants, vehicle workshops, and other essential amenities,” he said.

The meeting decided to also take input from representatives of truck companies to determine ideal locations for these service areas. Among the mini service areas to be constructed along the expressway, some of them should be larger, offering comprehensive services to truckers, the minister said.

Expressing concern over the security, the minister stated that 42 FWO workers lost their lives during the construction of N-85 and called for strict security measures. The Balochistan government had already been conveyed that Gwadar city and N-85 — 444km Hoshab to Panjgur road built under CPEC — must be secured under all circumstances.

The meeting also decided to develop a dedicated security force for N-25, with security deployment aligned with the work schedule.

Furthermore, the minister highlighted the importance of considering potential future expansion of expressway lanes due to increased regional connectivity. “Considering flow of traffic in the next few decades, the development of this expressway must be executed in a way that it’s easier to expand it into six lanes, whenever needed in future,” he said.

Calling the N-25 a critical route for transportation between Sindh and Balochistan and a potential gateway for Central Asia, Mr Iqbal reaffirmed its potential to uplift the socioeconomic development of Balochistan. He asked the stakeholders to complete the project by August 2027.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2025