Work on Lowari Tunnel going smoothly - NHA

Work on Lowari Tunnel located on Nowshera-Dir-Chitral Road (N-45) has restarted with full force and Rs. 18 billion project will be completed in three years.

A source in the National Highway Authority (NHA) informed that the delay in the construction work was partially due to last year's floods and disputes over payment between Korean construction company SAMBU and the NHA.

The source said that

the disputes were resolved due to the efforts of the Minister for Communications.

He said that when the Lowari Tunnel project began in 2005 it was planned to be constructed in two phases.

In the first phase, the 8.54 km long tunnel was to be constructed with access roads, while in the second phase a railway track was to be laid.

The main tunnel has a 7.14 meter maximum height and 7.55 meter maximum width.

There are two access roads on both sides of the tunnel, from Dir and Darosh that are 9.3 km and 9.2 km long, respectively.

The auxiliary tunnel is two km long. The project could not be completed in October 2008 as planned, in October 2009 the present government decided to change the project design from a rail tunnel to a road tunnel. Work on the project was discontinued again in June 2011, primarily due to financial constraints. There was an allocation of Rs 164 million under the 2010-11 PSDP but most of the funds had not been released.

As one of the longest tunnels in Asia, the Lowari Tunnel is of great national importance and would contribute to the socio-economic wellbeing of the area. After its completion, rich minerals and other natural resources could be exploited, this would result in promoting trade and industry, as well as tourism, in the region, the ministry official added.

After its completion, the tunnel would connect the Central Asian Republics with Pakistan road network.

The tunnel will reduce the current 14-hour drive from Chitral to Peshawar by 50pc.

Being a development project of international repute, its completion will not only facilitate trade, tourism, industry and agriculture in the region and provide safely and easy travel facility to the people of Chitral but it will also strengthen the country's economy, he added.

Due to ongoing construction work, the NHA has decided to keep the Lowari tunnel opened for passenger vehicles three alternate days a week and the timing for the opening of the tunnel will be 12 noon to 5:30 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012