 Lowari Tunnel | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Coordinates | 35°21′0″N 71°48′0″E / 35.35000°N 71.80000°E |
| Status | Fully Functional |
| Route |  Dir-Chitral Highway |
| Crosses | Lowari Pass |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | September 2005[1] |
| Opened | July 2017[2] |
| Technical | |
| Length | Tunnel 1: 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi) Tunnel 2: 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
Lowari Tunnel (Urdu: لواری سرنگ, Lowari Surang) consists of two separate tunnels, and the combined length of both tunnels is 10.4 kilometers (6.5 miles). It is a vehicular tunnel under the Lowari Pass of the Hindu Kush mountains, between Dir and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The tunnel effectively bypassed Pakistan's reliance on Afghanistan to reach Chitral region. It is operated by the National Highway Authority and carries traffic on the N-45 National Highway, thus bypassing Lowari Pass. Construction was partly completed by June 2017,[3][4][5][6] By late 2018, the tunnel was open to vehicular traffic for at least ten hours per day.[7]
The total cost of the tunnel was Rs. 26.954 billion (US$93 million).[8] The tunnel is one of the longest tunnels in South Asia, and is the longest in Pakistan, superseding the 3.91 km (2.43 mi) Khojak Tunnel in 2018.
- ^ "Lowari Tunnel likely to be completed by 2017". The Nation. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ Mian, Bakhtawar. "Sharif to inaugurate Lowari tunnel today". Dawn. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ "Lowari Main Tunnel". downloads.nha.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- ^ "Lowari Tunnel to be operational by June". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- ^ "Lowari Tunnel Northern Portal Access Road". downloads.nha.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- ^ "Lowari Tunnel Southern Portal Access Road". downloads.nha.gov.pk. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
- ^ Zahiruddin (30 September 2018). "Lowari tunnel: opportunities and challenges". Dawn. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "Lowari Tunnel Project to be completed next month at cost of Rs26bn". geo.tv.