It takes several hours to travel between Abbottabad and Mansehra and between Hassanabdal and Abbottabad.
ABBOTTABAD: Abbottabad is the second-largest city of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It is situated on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and as a result, faces traffic jams every day.
The problem can be resolved since the federal government has already approved a plan for the expansion of the KKH as it passes through the city. The plan, in fact, is to expand the highway from Burhan near Hassanabdal to Mansehra and it is to be built as an expressway. However, till such time that this plan is put into action, those who are travelling to the Northern Areas or to Azad Jammu and Kashmir have to make do with the old Hazara road. This is quite narrow and since it passes through Abbottabad city, there is often a traffic jam. The situation is so bad that it can take several hours to travel the relatively short distance between Abbottabad and Mansehra and between Hassanabdal and Abbottabad.
Not only does the work on the road’s expansion need to begin soon, it also needs to be rerouted so that it doesn’t pass through Abbottabad itself. This means that a bypass should be constructed so that traffic that is not heading to the city itself can use that, leading to reduced traffic congestion. The federal government is requested to expedite the work in this regard.
Advocate Kamran Ahmad
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2012.
