Kohat Tunnel

The Kohat Tunnel (Urdu: کوہاٹ سرنگ, Kohat Surang) is a 1.9-kilometre-long (1+1⁄8-mile) highway tunnel under the Khigana Mountains between Kohat District and Dara Adam Khel Tehsil in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The tunnel carries northbound and southbound traffic along N-55 National Highway (Indus Highway) under the Kohat Pass. The tunnel is also referred to as the Pak-Japan Friendship Tunnel, as it was constructed with assistance from the Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan.^[1]

Kohat Tunnel
کوہاٹ سرنگ

The tunnel’s southern entrance
Overview
Location	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Coordinates	33°38′51″N 71°32′18″E
Route	N55 (Indus Highway)
Crosses	Khigana Mountains
Operation
Work begun	1999; 26 years ago (1999)
Opened	June 2003; 22 years ago (2003-06)
Technical
Design engineer	Sadrul Ola Rizvi (Project Director - Indus Highway NHA)
Length	1.89 km (1+1⁄8 mi)
Tunnel clearance	3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Width	10.3 m (33 ft 10 in)

History

Kohat Tunnel

Construction on the tunnel began in 1999, and it opened to traffic in June 2003. As part of the developing Indus Highway system, the tunnel serves as a shorter, alternative route to the Kohat Pass, situated between the cities of Peshawar and Kohat. The new route decreases the travel time through the Kohat Pass by about 20 minutes. The main advantage of the tunnel is that long bodied vehicles can now use the Indus Highway whereas previously the hairpin bends on the Kohat Pass made it impossible for such vehicles to travel. It also helps alleviate traffic congestion, improve traffic safety and promote economic development.

The tunnel was at the center of a military confrontation between the Pakistan Army and pro-Taliban militants in early 2008. The militants had taken control of the tunnel around 24 January, after hijacking trucks carrying supplies and ammunition for security forces in South Waziristan. On 27 January, the security forces regained control of the tunnel, after "fierce fighting" involving artillery, helicopter gunships and heavy machineguns during which 24 militants were reported killed.^[2][3]

Features and specifications

• Total project cost: Rs. 662.6 million (US$2.3 million)
• Length of north section: 7.7 kilometres
• Length of south section: 22.20 kilometres
• Black topped: 7.3 metres
• Shoulders: 3.0 metres