ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: The National Highway Council has approved the Motorway M-9 project, connecting Karachi and Hyderabad costing about Rs6.3 billion.

The decision was taken in the council’s meeting.

Federal Minister for Communication Muhammad Shamim Siddiqui chaired the meeting which was attended by secretary communicationTariq Mehmud, secretary finance division Tanveer Ali Agha and chairman National Highway Authority Maj Gen Farrukh Javed.

The meeting decided that the existing Super Highway would be widened to six lanes from its current four-lane configuration along with a 135-kilometre access road between Karachi and Hyderabad. A construction firm M/s Standard has been hired to execute the scheme and complete it within two years.

The federal minister asked the NHA officials to complete the road in the stipulated time and take all care to maintain highest possible quality. He also directed the authority to prepare an efficient traffic management plan so that road users could be saved from inconvenience during the project’s execution.

Shamim Siddiqui stressed the need to computerise toll plazas and directed the officials concerned to take necessary steps in this connection. According to the plan, the contractor would construct the project and operate it for 25 years before handing it over to the federal government. The NHA chairman informed the meeting that the project would generate Rs9 billion in toll taxes while the NHA would earn Rs20 billion in 25 years. He said that 11 interchanges and 10 pedestrian underpasses would be built along the motorway.