ISLAMABAD: China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project Western Alignment starting from Burhan near Hassanabdal envisages construction of road projects in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab province.

Upgradation of several hundred kilometres roads into 4-lane divided highways, with land acquisition sufficient for upgrading parts of the road to a six-lane motorway in the future was being done under the Western Alignment of CPEC, an official of NHA informed APP on Wednesday.

The official said that construction work on 285 kilometre Hakla-D.I.Khan section of Western route of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was underway and the project was expected to be completed by end of this year.

He said D.I.Khan-Zhob section of western alignment was approved by Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in April 2017, for which Public Sector Development Programme and Chinese financing options were under discussion.

He said other two remaining sections, Zhob­-Quetta and Quetta-Sohrab were in feasibility study stage. He said that the NHA would expedite the feasibility study and submission of PC-I for the two sections so that their construction work could be started as early as possible.

To a question, he said as per the approved plan of CPEC, all highway sections falling on the western route were agreed by both sides.

He said that the upgradation of Karakoram Highway was being done in various phases from Hassanabadal to Khunjerab Pass on China border to connect to the Western Alignment of the CPEC at Burhan, at Peshawar- Islamabad Motorway.