FAISALABAD, Pakistan, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Part of a major highway extension project in central Pakistan, which falls under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, is expect to be completed in less than two years' time, a project manager said Sunday.
"We will deliver the project on time and up to standard," Wang Feng of China Railway First Group Co., Ltd (CRFG) told Xinhua at the site.
The CRFG is commissioned to pave 30 km of a 192 km-long project to connect the central cities of Faisalabad and Khanewal with a four-lane highway.
Once completed, the road will halve commute time between the two cities to 2 hours.
"Even though the construction site is located in one of the hottest regions in Pakistan, we are doing our best to weather the harsh climate," Wang said, adding daytime temperature in summer can reach 53 degrees Celsius.
Commenced in April, the 30-km segment is expected to take two years to complete. CRFG will apply the highest standards during construction, Wang said.
The segment is funded by the Asian Development Bank, while another segment of the same project has attracted one of the first investments from the newly founded Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
CPEC is a comprehensive agreement reached by the two countries in 2013 to upgrade Pakistan's infrastructure. Enditem
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