ISLAMABAD (February 07 2010): National Highway Authority (NHA) would spend Rs 285 million on construction of interchange at Okara bypass on G.T.Road (N-5). Talking to newsmen on Saturday, NHA Chairman Altaf Chaudhry said the Executive Board had recently approved the Project Concept-1 of interchange.

He said decision to construct an interchange at Okara bypass was made on repeated demands of the people of the area. He said the total stretch of the bypass was 12.54 km and it was completed at a cost of more than Rs 628 million. The NHA Chairman said Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar National Highway was the economic lifeline of the country, and smooth flow of traffic on this highway would contribute to progress of the country.

NHA Chairman said the National Highway Authority was undertaking a countrywide programme for construction, extension and maintenance of national highways and motorways. He said Okara was a rapidly growing city in terms of industry and agricultural activity and the inter-change would promote commercial activity and traffic would be disciplined. Altaf Chaudhry further said that in 2006 the NHA built Okara bypass which helped smooth flow of traffic particularly between Lahore and Multan.