ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: The government is planning to link the Hassan Abdal-Mansehra Expressway with Gwadar and also with China and Central Asian republics at a cost of Rs20 billion to boost economic activities in the region.

The Asian Development Bank will provide Rs18 billion for the project while the government would provide Rs2 billion for land acquisition, communications ministry spokesman Javed Chaudhary told Dawn on Wednesday.

He said that spadework had been completed and the project was expected to be formally launched in a few months.

The project was discussed at a meeting held on Wednesday at the ministry of communications.

Federal Minister for Communications Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, members of National Assembly from Hazara Sardar Shahzehan Yousaf, Faiz Muhammad Khan, Muhammad Nawaz Alai and Mehboobullah Jan and officials of the ministry and the National Highway Authority attended the meeting.

The expressway, he said, would boost commercial activities in the area. Dr Arbab Alamgir said that construction work would start soon after acquisition of land.

He said the road would be connected to M-1 at the Burhan Interchange. The minister said that the road was also essential for the Bhasha dam project because it would be used for transporting heavy machinery to the site.