The National Highway Authority (NHA) has given international and local firms until 1 June to submit bids for financing, designing, constructing and operating a 136-kilometre highway which will connect Karachi, the biggest city of Pakistan, to Hyderabad the second biggest city in Sind province.

The estimated Rs 900 million ($20.4 million) road will be built from Sarabgoth, near Karachi, to Hyderabad bypass, near Jamshoro, on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The project is part of the Trans-Pakistan Motorway planned by the government.

The selected firm will be responsible for identifying institutions which will arrange the finance for the project. It will also have the responsibility of preparing a methodology for the project, and setting toll rates and a revenue-sharing formula with the government. A contract is expected to be awarded by the end of November. The project will take two years to complete.