Daily Times

As Prime Minister of Pakistan’s visit to China approaches, it is imperative to underscore that the Highway Research & Training Centre (HRTC) stands as one of the pivotal projects, prominently taking center stage as the primary highlight of this significant visit. It is to recall that HRTC is a subsidiary of NHA for carrying out indigenous research in various faculties of Highway Engineering, including but not limited to Pavements, Bridges, Tunneling Environmental Engineering, Hydraulics and Geotech. It also imparts technical training to NHA engineers also.

HRTC also affiliates various Engineering institutes in research, especially in Pavements, including NUST. NHA has also proposed to FWO Tunneling Institute to become an associate in research in tunneling. An Agreement in this regard can be signed. Under the ambit of CPEC, there’s a promising Joint Research Program envisioned with the Government of China from 2023 to 2027. This program aims to foster collaboration and innovation in various domains of highway engineering. A formal memorandum of joint research extension will be finalized and entered into during the PM’s visit to China next week. We anticipate its significance in furthering the infrastructure cooperation between China and Pakistan. This extension is poised to be a cornerstone of joint cooperation in the road infrastructure with the National Highway Authority being a vanguard of such mutual cooperation. It is agreed that the following activities will be completed i-e Construction of HRTC Research Institute on 530 acres of land already acquired by NHA for PKR 520 million. This will be constructed by a Chinese Contractor/Consultant under a Chinese Grant of 52 million USD/ 374 million RMB (15 billion PKR). It includes infrastructure, a Test track and indoor and outdoor lab equipment. After completion and required training, it will be handed over to NHA for operation. Secondly LTPP (Long-term Pavement Performance) study under controlled and uncontrolled conditions. Similarly various research Projects in Reclaimed Asphalt, Bridges and Tunneling, etc, Training and degree courses in China and Development of engineering design manuals and standards for Pakistan are also included in it.