C&C Constructions Ltd, in joint venture with B. Seenaiah & Company (Projects) Ltd, has received an order worth Rs 344 crore ($86 million) from an American consortium for a road project in Afghanistan.
The order, placed by Louis Berger Group Inc. and Black & Veatch Special Purpose Corporation joint venture (LBG/B&V JV) is for rehabilitation and construction of the 103-km Gardez Khost Road in east Afghanistan. The work is scheduled for completion by December 2009. The project is part of the Afghanistan Infrastructure & Rehabilitation Programme.
Commenting on the order, Gurjeet Singh Johar, Chairman, C&C Constructions Ltd, told Projectmonitor that work on the project would start after the detailed meprogram is approved. In joint venture with BSCPL, C&C has won several orders in Afghanistan, most of which have been completed. "The order, the largest by the joint venture overseas, will give a new dimension to our presence in Afghanistan," Johar noted.

Background
Gardez-Khost Road is the only direct connection between the two commercial city centres in eastern Afghanistan. Gardez and Khost are respective capitals of the provinces of Paktia and Khost. This dirt road is also a critical route for local and foreign military forces to maintain support to stabilize this part of the war-torn country. Every winter season, snow and icy weather create very difficult motoring conditions. The situation is sometimes so extreme that there have been reports of vehicles losing control and falling into the steep embankments along the edge of the road. There have also been instances of motorists freezing to death in stranded vehicles due to traffic jams that could take days to clear.
With the assistance of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a project to rehabilitate the road was taken up in 2007. LBG/B&V JV was appointed contractor and the tendering process to appoint the contractor was initiated in November last year. Till then, local Afghan contractor, Zurmat Construction Company was appointed as contractor to keep the road clear of snow, as an interim step till the reconstruction activities started. Based in the province of Gardez, Zurmat has been able to periodically maintain the road with effect from November 30, 2007. Where mechanical equipment is ineffective, Zurmat has been employing local labourers to manually clear the road with shovels. This has resulted in employment for locals besides making the road much more passable and less risky for motorists.