The Ministry of Public Works of the Taliban announced that it has signed a contract worth more than 1.25 billion Afghanis with a private company for the reconstruction of 15 kilometers of the Southern Salang Road.
Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, the ministry’s spokesperson, said in a press release issued on Tuesday, 2 Saratan, that the contract was concluded with the construction and road-building company “Mobaraz Barakzai.” According to him, the project will be implemented as part of the Salang Highway reconstruction program.
According to the provided details, the project begins in the Olang area and extends toward Jabal al-Siraj over a distance of 15 kilometers and a width of 12 meters. Under this plan, the road will be asphalted.
The project also includes the construction of five new culverts, the widening of 33 existing culverts, and the construction of 600 meters of drainage channels along one side of the road. Taliban officials say these measures are aimed at improving transport infrastructure and increasing route safety.
According to the Ministry of Public Works’ statement, the contract for rebuilding this section of the Salang Highway in the Southern Salang area is valued at 1,252,783,126 Afghanis. Based on an average exchange rate of 64 Afghanis per US dollar, the project is estimated to be worth approximately 19.6 million dollars. This indicates that the estimated cost of reconstructing each kilometer of the road exceeds 1.3 million dollars.
The contract was signed by Mullah Mohammad Isa Thani, the Taliban’s Minister of Public Works, and the representative of the contracting company. The Taliban have not provided details regarding the project’s duration or expected completion date.
Since 2022 (1401 in the Solar Hijri calendar), the Taliban have included the reconstruction of the Salang Highway and its tunnels in their official budget. However, despite several years having passed, the implementation of these projects is still ongoing and has yet to be completed.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
