Delay in KKH repairs causes traffic snarls

The National Highway Authority (NHA) officials have been asked to conduct repair works on Karakorum Highway (KKH) at night to facilitate the commuters.

Abbottabad Traffic SSP Tariq Mehmood has asked the NHA officials to speed up the repair work of KKH reminding that it is the only road which links six districts of Abbottabad with the northern areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking at a meeting held at traffic headquarters to discuss the traffic jam issues due to delay in road repairs, SSP Mahmood said, KKH is the vital link that connects Abbottabad city with the tertiary healthcare facility of Ayub Medical Complex.

The city’s top traffic manager said it should be noted that repair work on the only main road of Abbottabad from Piffers Chowk to Mirpur is under way but the slow pace of work is creating traffic problems for the locals as well as the inter-city commuters.

He said Abbottabad was a hub of tourism and people travelling to various locations pass through it. The delay in roadwork has affected almost all the main and link roads of Abbottabad where people get stuck in traffic jam for hours during schools and office opening and closing time.

During the meeting it was decided that small vehicles will be diverted from Kakul Road to Mandian while main road will be used by the large vehicles including trucks and vans and all inter-city traffic will be directed to use the motorway from Muslimabad and Mangal Interchange at Qalandarabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2020.