Sayed Ahmad Rafiee, the head of one of the contracting companies for the Kabul-Kandahar highway, said that the highway will be completed before winter arrives.
According to Rafiee, currently about 18 road construction companies are working on this highway. Most parts of this highway have been damaged due to the battles of the past two decades and the movement of high-tonnage vehicles.
Rafiee said: “As you have seen, the work on the Kabul-Kandahar highway is progressing rapidly. Approximately 16 to 18 companies are working, and with the arrival of winter, the work will be completed, and our compatriots can travel on this road.”
Mohammad Ashraf Haqshinas, a spokesman for the for the Ministry of Public Works, said: “The Kabul-Kandahar highway is one of the most important and vital highways in Afghanistan. This highway not only connects the provinces of Afghanistan but also plays an essential role in the transportation of commercial goods.
The Ministry of Public Works has started the fundamental repair and reconstruction of the Kabul-Kandahar highway, which stretches 480 kilometers in various sections, and the work is currently in progress. The first section of this highway starts from Arghandi in Kabul province and extends to the bazaar in Maidan Wardak province, covering 27 kilometers, where the third layer of asphalt is being laid intensively and will be completed soon.”
Some residents living along this highway are urging the interim government officials to expedite the project.
Najibullah Noori, a resident of Maidan Wardak, said: “The repair of this road is a significant achievement for all Afghans. We are happy and ask the Islamic Emirate to complete the construction of this road from Kabul to Kandahar as soon as possible.”
Mahmudullah, another resident of Maidan Wardak, told TOLOnews: “We are happy with the development and reconstruction of the road, and we will be pleased to see the sections that are damaged being rebuilt.”
The Kabul-Kandahar highway, which is over 480 kilometers long, began construction on the 25th of Sunbula 1401 (solar calendar) by the Ministry of Public Works and has not yet been completed.