Swat Motorway: Characteristics, Importance, and More

The most recent highway to join Pakistan’s extensive network of highways is the Swat Motorway.
It is a 160-kilometer long, extensive development project that includes a two-way, limited-access expressway.
It has numerous lanes to make travel convenient.
The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), who spent PKR 36 billion on the project, has finished it.

The M-16 (Swat Motorway) runs from Karnal Sher Khan Interchange to Chakdara Bridge on National Highway (N-45).
The Swat Motorway’s first phase was finished in 2019, however the second phase is currently being built.

sourcingzone.com gives a thorough description of the highway below.

The Swat Motorway’s features

The Swat Motorway is a special project with 21 bridges and twin tunnels that are 1300 metres long.
There are additionally a total of 7 interchanges.
The Swat Motorway’s southern segment runs from Nowshera to Chakdara in the north.

The interchanges along the Swat Motorway are as follows:

• Karnal Sher Khan Interchange of M1
• Dobian Interchange
• Ismaila Interchange
• Bakhshalay Interchange
• Katlang Interchange
• Palai Interchange
• Chakdara Interchange

An Alternative Route to Swat Valley

N-45 was previously used by travellers to get to the Swat Valley and other neighbouring locations.
However, dangerous dangers included heavy traffic and frequent accidents.
Travelers now have an alternative and significantly safer route to use to reach the districts of Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, and Chitral thanks to the development of the Swat Motorway.

Before the M-16 motorway was built, it took 8 to 10 hours to go from Islamabad to Swat.
It is now only about three hours long.

Due to the simplicity of transportation for merchants and dealers, both the tourism and commercial sectors have seen significant growth.

Swat Motorway Extension Phase II

The much-anticipated Phase 2 extension of the M-16 Motorway was first announced by the Chief Minister of KPK in April 2022.
The KPK administration issued a formal statement following a high-level meeting of the cabinet members and ministries.

The announcement claims that the Swat Motorway Phase will connect the Chakdara region of KPK to Fatehpur along an 88 km-long road.
The project will cost roughly PKR 58 billion in total.

The government has already allocated PKR 6.7 billion for the purchase of land necessary for the construction of this massive project.

The following interchanges have been planned for the project:

• Chakdara Interchange
• Shamozai Interchange
• Barikot Interchange
• Takhtaband Interchange
• Kanju Interchange
• Malam Jabba Interchange
• Sher Palam Interchange
• Matta-Khwazakhela Interchange
• Madyan Interchange Fatehpur