Electro- Mechanical Works Of Lowari Tunnel Completion To Take Two Years

Electro-Mechanical (E&M) Works of Lowari Tunnel on Nowshehra-Chitral Highway (N-45) under procurement stage and it is expected that two years time would be required for completion of permanent E&M Works of the tunnel after its commencement.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Nov, 2018 ) :Electro-Mechanical (E&M) Works of Lowari Tunnel on Nowshehra-Chitral Highway (N-45) under procurement stage and it is expected that two years time would be required for completion of permanent E&M Works of the tunnel after its commencement.

An official of National Highway Authority (NHA) told APP Tuesday that the civil works of Lowari Tunnel Project comprising two tunnels of length 8.5 km and 1.9 km, four bridges, approach roads and platforms had been completed in November 2017 and are now under defect liability period of one year.

He said that so far, Rs 24.52 billion has been incurred at the project while the expected total cost of the project at completion will be approximately Rs.40 billion. After the completion of civil works, he said that some temporary and provisional (soft operation) of Electro-Mechanical (E&M) works were made inside the tunnel and was opened to traffic twice a day, which was successively increased to nine hours .

He said that total operation hours of the tunnel were eighteen hours with two hours gap between traffic use for cleaning the smoke and toxic gases.

He said that the design and supervisory consultant have strongly objected to the improvised arrangements of temporary installation of limited Electro-Mechanical Work and thereupon, operation of tunnel for general public. However, he said keeping in view the grievances and miseries of general public the tunnel is being temporarily operated for public ease.

To a question, he said the works include tunnel ventilation, lighting system, air quality measurement system, closed circuit telephone system, emergency call, telephoneand radio system, public address system and tunnel fittings, traffic management system and toll station, fire detection and fire fighting system, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) andtele-control system, power generation, emergency power and earthing.It is worth a mention that the NHA has undertaken the project of Lowari Tunnel at an altitude of about 8,000 feet between Dir and Chitral.