DNA
Islamabad, July 30 : The whole line of Havelian-Thakot of the Karakoram Highway Phase II (KKH) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has been opened to traffic, Gwadar Pro reported on Thursday.
The project is now stands completed with an opening ceremony of its Class II Highway section, Mansehra-Thakot.
Mahmood Khan, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said, “This mega road project would prove to be the backbone of the country’s economy and provide employment opportunities to a large portion of the population.”
The 79-kilometer-long Class II Highway Mansehra-Thakot and the Havelian-Mansehra expressway section, launched in November 2019, form the 118 kilometers Havelian-Thakot.
Karakoram Highway, the only overland connection between China and Pakistan at present, was built with fund from China during 1966-1978.
The first phase of KKH’s renovation and expansion project had been completed in 2013. In 2014, the memorandum on the second phase of KKH was signed between Pakistan and China.
The KKH II has three sections, namely, Havelian-Thakot, Havelian-Islamabad and Thakot-Raikot.
According to the Havelian-Thakot project’s contractor, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), besides this section, the Havelian-Islamabad section has also been completed so far. Only the Thakot-Raikot section is yet to be constructed, the report added.
