ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) has established weigh stations on its entire network to ensure load limits as per the National Highway Safety Ordinance-2000, said an official of the Communications Ministry.
He said that concrete steps were being taken to prevent highways from being damaged. As part of such efforts, the official said there were 96 operational weigh stations – both permanent and mobile – across national highways and motorways. He said that the authority was expanding network of weigh stations in a planned manner and in accordance with prioritised demands of regions. The official said that life span of highways remained satisfactory where axle load control was enforced. He said that a strict control system was observed at entry points of each interchange on motorways. The NHA, he said, was considering a proposal to dualise Rajanpur-Taunsa section of Indus Highway. The project is likely to be financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), he said, adding that a process for hiring of consultants for conduction detailed design had been initiated.
Indus Highway, also known as N55, is a 1,264 km long four-lane highway that runs along the Indus River connecting the port city of Karachi with the northwestern city of Peshawar via Larkana, Dera Ghazi Khan and DI Khan. Following the vision of present political leadership, he said that the NHA was committed to expanding the present road facilities and modernise this network to keep up with growing needs of the transport. Currently, he said, that M8 and N85 were under construction.
