Expressway to slash Mirpur to Muzaffarabad travel by 125 km

ISLAMABAD: Construction of a new expressway is being considered to significantly reduce travel distance between Mirpur and Muzaffarabad by over 125 kilometer.
An initial aerial survey has been done, a senior official told The News. He said that the expressway would pass through different districts of Azad Kashmir.
At present, people commuting between Mirpur and Muzaffarabad have to pass through Rawalpindi and Murree before reaching their destination.
They drive 300 kilometers, spending over five hours. The new expressway will bring this distance to approximately 175 kilometers and reduce travel time by some three hours.
People from other districts of Azad Kashmir also take a long time to reach Muzaffarabad as the existing road network, though improved than before over the time, still doesn’t provide for fast movement.
The official said that apart from the use of the new expressway by the general vehicular traffic, the highway would also serve as an excellent defence road.
Besides a large number of ordinary people, dozens of officials go to Muzaffarabad from Mirpur and other districts every day.
The Azad Kashmir government officials consume longer times in traveling more than working in their offices by using high-powered jeeps and other vehicles. They have to frequently go to Muzaffarabad in connection with official meetings in the capital. A large part of the budget is spent on this head.
The official said that a number of bridges including two large ones would have to be built for the expressway. Financial requirements for the project are being worked out. Foreign funding is likely to be arranged. “The project is part of the massive road connectivity that the present government has undertaken all over Pakistan,” the official said.
He said that the expressway would bring massive changes in the areas covered by it. He said efforts were being made that most districts of Azad Kashmir were linked so that everyone benefits from it.
Meanwhile, a feasibility report is being prepared for the Islamabad-Murree-Muzaffarabad Rail Link project. Once completed and approved, work will be completed in four to five years.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had raised objections over the previous feasibility report and said the proposed railway station should be constructed close to Murree so that its residents and tourists benefit from it.
The earlier report was formulated by a Pakistani and an Austrian company under a joint venture. The project also included the construction of a five-kilometer long tunnel on a portion from Islamabad to Murree and a 20-kilomter long tunnel from Murree to Muzaffarabad. The railway station is likely to be constructed near Basal in Murree.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar recently said that a new company with the name of Kashmir Railways is being established to execute and manage this exceptional rail link project, which would open new avenues in tourism and leisure travel.