KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Construction work on a three-kilometre bypass road began in the capital of southern Kandahar province on Tuesday, an official said.
The road stretches from the second inter-section to the Hindu Square of Kandahar City, linking it with Kabul, Herat and Spin Boldak highways, according to the mayor.
Governor Dr. Humayun Azizi, Mayor Qazi Mohammad Omar, provincial council members and other officials attended the launching ceremony.
Omar told Pajhwok Afghan News the three-kilometre, having 10-metre width, would cost $3 million. The Kandahar Municipality is funding the project, with a six-month timeline. 
He promised 20,000 square kilometres roads in the city, currently in bad shape, would be repaired and asphalted.
Governor Aziz described the bypass road, travelled by heavy trucks, as an important scheme. Its construction was a longstanding public demand, the governor said.
He directed the municipality to focus on the road’s quality, something echoed by Provincial Council Deputy Chairman Haji Abdul Qayyum, who vowed to inspect the road occasionally.
Resident Abdul Wase Hasyal, who lives close to the site, recalled the road had been built a decade ago. Due to its poor quality, he alleged, the road was damaged soon. 
The lousy road that often remained closed due to different factors including accidents, caused heavy vehicles a lot of damage, he said. He urged the authorities to build the road in better way this time around.
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