The National Highway Authority (NHA) has introduced a new traffic schedule for the Lowari Tunnel, requiring the key transport route to remain closed to vehicular traffic for 12 hours each day, prompting widespread concern among residents and commuters in Chitral.
The 10 kilometre long tunnel, which currently operates around the clock and serves thousands of vehicles daily, will now function on a rotational schedule. Under the revised plan, the tunnel will remain closed for three hours and then open for three hours, resulting in a total of 12 hours of closure every day.
According to the NHA, the new schedule is intended to ensure the smooth flow of traffic through the tunnel. However, residents have questioned the decision, arguing that the prolonged closure periods would lead to severe traffic congestion as hundreds of vehicles accumulate at both ends of the tunnel during each shutdown.
They also warned that allowing large convoys to pass through the unfinished tunnel at once could create dangerous levels of exhaust fumes because of the lack of a proper ventilation system.
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