PESHAWAR: The major 50 km portion of Swat Motorway from Col Sher Khan Interchange till Katlang Interchange will be opened to transport from Monday (May 21), a press release issued here from chief minister office said.

The next 30 km phase from Katlang to Chakdara will be opened to traffic by December 2018.

According to estimates, more than 18,000 vehicles will use this route daily, generating direct and indirect revenue. Once completed, the project will prove to be a major game changer for the province and provide tremendous prospects for development of transport, communication and tourism.

The motorway is a unique project being constructed by the provincial government under the Public Private Partnership Act 2014 and will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 38 billion.

The 81 km long motorway also known as expressway will connect Karnal Sher Khan Interchange on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway with Chakdara tunneling its way through mountains at Palai and Ala Dhand. Two kilometer of the expressway falls in the vicinity of District Nowshera, 18 km in Swabi, 40 km in Mardan and 21 km in Malakand. The total width of the expressway is 80 meters.