The major portion of Swat Motorway from Karnal Sher Khan to Katlang interchange covering 50-kilometers will be opened for public transport on May 21 of the current month. The next phase covering 30-Kilometers from Katlang to Chakdara will be opened to traffic by December 2018.
According to present estimates, more than 18,000 vehicles will be able to use this route on daily basis generating direct and indirect revenue. Once completed, the project will prove to be a game changer for the province and will generate not only immediate benefits but will also provide tremendous prospects for development of transport, communication and tourism in the Province.
The Motorway is one of its kind projects to be constructed by a 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 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 will be 80 meters.
According to officials of the Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (PkHA), the length of the tunnels has been estimated at about 2Kms. With the completion of the Swat Motorway, the journey from Karnal Sher Khan Interchange to Chakdara will take only 45 minutes as opposed to more than 2 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 motorway 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, ShahbazGhari, Bakshalay, Shakar Tangai, 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 routs making transportation and business extremely difficult.