ISLAMABAD -- The Kohat tunnel project, having a total cost of Rs.6.62 billion, will reduce the distance between Peshawar and Karachi along the Indus Highway by 400 kms, besides providing an alternative route to the existing road over Kohat Pass. According to the officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to inaugurate the project on July 30, 1999. The Kohat tunnel and access roads project is an integral part of the 1200-km long Indus Highway project, running south-north of the country, and will be completed in 48 months.

The NHA officials said, one of the major objectives, to undertake this project, is to reduce the distance between Peshawar and Karachi, along the Indus Highway, by 400 kms. It will particularly reduce the distance between Peshawar and Kohat and other southern districts by six kms. The cut in travelling distances will lead to substantial reduction in vehicle operating cost and other indirect costs, besides being time saving.

Similarly, another main objective of the construction of Kohat tunnel is to provide an alternative route to the existing road (N-55) over Kohat Pass. The N-55 has numerous hairpin bends on steep gradient over the length of more than 8 kilometers, which is not negotiable by long bodied or trailer towing vehicles. (IRNA)