Concerns were raised in the 1960s when the road was built through Hlane National Park under pressure from sugar estates at the park's borders. They claimed that the highway would cause no environmental damage, but now hundreds of antelope, wild boar, buffalo and other game are struck by vehicles each year.[9] The road from Mbabane to Matsapha has been funded by the African Development Bank and the European Union,
completed in 1999.[1] From 1999, the African bank and the Government of Eswatini have financed the road to Ngwenya, a regional corridor development known as the Two International Roads Project.[1] The total cost of the project is estimated at ZAR 463.45 million and the Roads Department of the Eswatini Ministry of Public Works and Transport are responsible for the implementation of the project.[1]