Portion of Swat Expressway to open on May 21

PESHAWAR: A major portion of the Swat Expressway from Karnal Sher Khan to Katlang Interchange covering 50 kilometres would be opened for public transport on May 21.

An official handout said the next phase covering 30 kilometres from Katlang to Chakdarra would be opened to traffic by December, this year. As per the present estimates, over 18,000 vehicles would be able to use this route on a daily basis. It will generate direct and indirect revenue.

On completion the project will prove to be a major game-changer for the province. It will generate not only immediate benefits but also provide tremendous prospects for development of transport, communication and tourism in the province. The project is being constructed by the provincial government under the Public-Private Partnership Act 2014. It will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs38 billion.

The 81 kilometres long expressway will connect Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway with Chakdarra tunnel through the mountains at Palai and Aladhand. Two kilometres of the expressway falls in the vicinity of Nowshera district, 18 km in Swabi, 40 km in Mardan and 21 kilometres in Malakand. The total width of the expressway will be 80 metres.

According to officials of the Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (PKHA), the length of the tunnels has been estimated at about two kilometres. With the completion of the Swat Motorway, the journey from Karnal Sher Khan Interchange to Chakdarra will take only 45 minutes. It would previously take more than two hours. The expressway will be constructed on the pattern of motorway with four lanes which will be extended to six lanes afterwards. Interchanges on the expressway will be constructed at Dhobian, Ismaila, Bakhshali, Katlang, Palai and Chakdarra.