ISLAMABAD - National Highway Authority (NHA) has planned to upgrade and dualize about 67 kilometre Kohat-Karak section of Indus Highway (N-55) and Rs 5,440 million have been allocated in the PSDP of the current fiscal year. The official said that the Indus Highway (N-55) is a main road which lies along the western bank of the Indus River and runs nearly the entire length of Pakistan from north to south. He said that in recent years, the Indus Highway has been unable to cope with the increasing traffic volume and larger size of vehicles sufficiently due to the lack of road capacity and deterioration of the road surface. As a result, traffic has become excessively concentrated on N-5, causing frequent traffic jams. The project road is part of program to relieve the traffic on Indus Highway. In order to address above said problems, he said, the NHA developed programme for up-gradation and improvement of Indus Highway (N-55) for being the major trade route for country on western bank of Indus River.

In this connection, N-55 (Indus highway) has been already under up-gradation phase and has already been upgraded to four lane highway on various sections.

He said that the project has gained further significance due to inauguration of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

The western alignment of CPEC traversing between Islamabad and D I Khan connects N-55 near D I Khan and N-55 section, D I Khan -Kohat-Peshawar will also connect with CPEC.

Besides this section, NHA has also planned dualization and upgradation of 61 kilomentres Indus Highway section from Sarai Gambila to Karak.