ISLAMABAD – Construction work of Thakot-Havelian Motorway is going onsmoothly and it is expected the project would be accomplished by end ofFebruary next year.An official of National Highway Authority (NHA) told APP Monday that themotorway is an early harvest project of the China Pakistan EconomicCorridor, which would cost Rs 133. 98 billion.He said that work on the project started in January 2016 and so far 71 percent physical progress of the project has been achieved.China Exim bank has been funding 90 per cent of the project, while theremainder 10 percent is being funded by government of Pakistan, he said.The stretch of motorway from Havelian passes through Abbottabad,Mansehraand Shinkiari, ending at Thakot. It will have five tunnels two atAbbotabad, and one each at Battal, Karmong and Mansehra. He said that afterthe completion of the project, the travel time from Havelian to Thakotwill be reduced from existing four hours to 1.5 hours.The project having total length of 118km, out of which 39km is a six-laneexpressway with subgrade width of 24.7m, while the rest is 79km is Class-IIhighway with subgrade width of 12.3m.To a question, the official said there would be three interchanges on the six-lane 39km section, which included Khota Qabar interchange,Qalandarabad and Mansehra interchange.
In September last year, two long tunnels at Havelian-Thakot section ofKarakorum Highway (KKH) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)project were operationalized. He said that work on the remaining fourtunnels is in final stages.The main structures of the project included 60 large bridges, 45 middle andsmall bridges, 11 flyovers, 464 culverts, 40 underpasses, six tunnels, twoin Expressway section, four in Class-II Highway), three interchanges, 2service areas, three tunnel management stations and six tool stations, headded.
