Kabul: Afghan authorities have initiated the second construction phase on the Wakhan gravel road in northern Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported on Saturday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the road, which spans 71 km in length and is 8 meters wide, would extend from Bazhai Gonbad to the Broghil area of the Wakhan district of Badakhshan province.
The project, at a cost of 143 million afghanis (more than 2 million U.S. dollars), will facilitate transportation and create job opportunities for people in Badakhshan province.
The first phase of the Wakhan road, spanning 50 km, was completed last year. The road extends from the Bazhai Gonbad region to the border with China.
The Wakhan Road in Badakhshan is an important infrastructural initiative to improve connectivity between the Wakhan district and the Chinese border. The project, often identified as part of the historic Silk Road, is funded by the development budget of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.