25km long ‘relocated KKH’ opened for light traffic in the Diamer-Bhasha Dam area
CHILAS: A 25-km long patch of the realigned Karakoram Highway has been opened for light traffic in the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project vicinity.
According to information shared by WAPDA, the 25 kilometers long section of the newly constructed road will be opened for heavy traffic within two weeks.
The Karakoram Highway is being realigned and relocated in this part of Diamer district because the existing road will be submerged by the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project.
The realigned/relocated section of KKH lies between Shatial and Minar Nala.
WADPA says that the diversion of traffic at the main dam site to the new road will further accelerate construction activities.
Those traveling between Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad on the Karakoram Highway will now be able to travel without waiting at the dam site. After the resumption of traffic, tourists and locals coming to Gilgit-Baltistan will be able to continue their journey on the relocated KH without stopping at the dam site.
The carriageway of the highway, constructed at a cost of over Rs. 5.78 billion, is between 7.3 and 9.8 meters wide.
At present, construction work on eight sites on Diamer Bhasha Dam is in full swing. The height of the RCC dam, which is being constructed for water storage and access to cheap energy, is 272 meters. The dam has a total storage capacity of 8.1 million acre feet. The dam will generate 4,500 MW of affordable and environmentally friendly electricity, says the WAPDA communique.
