Almost 45% of construction work has been completed on the Lowari Tunnel project, on Nowshera-Dir-Chitral Road (N-45), with an expenditure of over Rs 6 billion. The project is to be completed in July 2017, with a total expected expenditure of Rs 12 billion.
An official from the Ministry of Communications told agencies on Sunday that the project, on completion, would facilitate all-weather and all year-round transportation. This would not only benefit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but would open new avenues of development and establish durable road links with Afghanistan and Central Asian States.
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.
Lowari Tunnel will open the Chitral valley to the world, establishing durable road links with Central Asian Republics and Afghanistan.
