KOHAT: The repair of a 16-kilometre stretch of the Hangu highway has begun as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (KPHA) has received Rs70 million for the purpose.

Eng Mohammad Afaq, an assistant director of KPHA, told Dawn on contact on Friday that the road had long been in need of repairs as trucks carrying goods to Afghanistan from Karachi port and Punjab had damaged it extensively.

The road was last constructed in 2016.

He said that the whole of 32-kilometre dual highway had been damaged by plying of overloaded heavy vehicles. “We had demanded Rs1 billion from the government for complete rehabilitation of the highway, but got only Rs70 million,” he added.

Shah Raza, a councillor, and a resident of Ustarzai area, said that the artery had long been in bad shape, needing early rehabilitation.

He recalled that after protests by the people against the contractor, an inspection team had arrived from Peshawar, which had imposed a fine on him, and had gotten the road repaired from his own pocket money, which was clear proof that he was guilty of wrongdoing.

Mr Raza said that rainwater turned the road into a pool near Sherkot area due a lack of proper drainage system.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025