Salang Pass reconstruction project officially underway

The Salang Pass reconstruction project was officially inaugurated on Wednesday by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund.

During the opening ceremony, Baradar said: “After the Qosh Tepa Canal, this is the second largest national and economic project, and once complete, the necessary facilities will be provided for [people] to travel from the north to the south, and for the trade sector.”

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is ready to complete the projects with all its energy and promises any kind of cooperation for the contracted companies in this sector,” Baradar added.

He also called on the contractors to complete the project as soon as possible and ensure a quality job was done with honesty.

The reconstruction spans 80km of the busy road, which connects nine provinces to Kabul. Work will take an estimated two years to finish. The project will also provide jobs to thousands of Afghans, officials said.

Thousands of motorists and truck drivers use the road daily, which crosses the Hindu Kush mountains. The Salang Tunnel, which is on the same road, bypasses through the mountains and is 2.67-kilometres-long.

The road has carried heavy military traffic in recent conflicts and is in very bad repair.