Swat Expressway From Col. Sher Interchange To Katlang To Open On Monday

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th May, 2018 ) :The major 50 km portion of Swat Motorway from Col Sher Khan Interchange till Katlang Interchange will be opened to transport from Monday (May 21), a press release issued here from chief minister office said.

The next 30 km phase from Katlang to Chakdara will be opened to traffic by December 2018. According to estimates, more than 18,000 vehicles will use this route daily, generating direct and indirect revenue.

Once completed, the project will prove to be a major game changer for the province and provide tremendous prospects for development of transport, communication and tourism. The motorway is a unique project being constructed by the provincial government under the Public Private Partnership Act 2014 and will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 38 billion.

The 81 km long motorway also known as expressway will connect Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway with Chakdara tunneling its way through mountains at Palai and Ala Dhand.

Two kilometer of the expressway falls in the vicinity of District Nowshera, 18 km in Swabi, 40 km in Mardan and 21 km in Malakand. The total width of the expressway is 80 meters. According to officials of the Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (PKHA), the length of the tunnels has been estimated at about 2 km.

With the completion of the Swat Motorway, the journey from Karnal Sher Khan Interchange to Chakdara will take only 45 minutes compared to two hours previously.

The expressway will be constructed on the pattern of motorway with as many as four lanes which will be extended to six lanes afterwards.

Interchanges on the expressway will be constructed at Dhobian, Ismaila, Bakshalay, Katlang, Palai and Chakdara. It will provide access to more than 40 villages which were previously inaccessible generating numerous business opportunities for local dwellers.

Some of the major areas to benefit directly from the expressway include Nandraka, Mughal Kai, Daulat, Dhobian, Ismaila, Ghariyala, Shahbaz Ghari, Bakshalay, ShakarTangai, Shamozai, Palai, Aladhand, ZulamKot, Chakdara and onward areas such as Chitral, Dir, Kohistan and Shangla.

Besides providing tremendous job opportunities to residents of adjacent villages, these areas will witness remarkable development in its business because of easy access to major market places. Previously these areas remained backward because they were cut off from major routes making transportation and business extremely difficult, the PKHA officials said.

Moreover, the route will also provide tremendous boost in the tourism sector because of easy access to tourist spots in Swat and adjacent areas and will generate indirect revenue for the province and business opportunities for thousands of people, they said.

According to PKHA officials the expressway is also of strategic importance because it will provide easy and fast access to remote areas that were previously inaccessible.