The tunnel, to be opened for vehicular traffic on June 15, would enable the vehicular traffic to avoid climbing the treacherous Kotal heights — the lone zig-zag road linking Peshawar and southern districts of the NWFP.
In terms of time factor, for those travelling between Peshawar and Kohat, it would save 45 minutes.
The project is of immense importance as it would boost economic activities in southern districts of the province and ease off travel for truckers and transporters on the Indus Highway.
The National Highway Authority (NHA), which took over the tunnel on April 26 from Taisi, a Japanese construction company which executed the project, has estimated to initially receive Rs90 million a year on account of toll tax.
Of the total amount received through the toll tax, the Authority is expected to save around Rs30 million annually as Rs60 million would be utilized for meeting operational and management cost of the project.
The annual management and operational cost of the project includes Rs12 million electricity charges and an equally larger proportion of funds would be utilized for maintaining high-tech equipment installed to operate the tunnel to ensure security of this strategically and economically important tunnel for which the Frontier Corps and the NWFP police have been made responsible.
The tunnel has facilities like fire-fighting, lighting, exhaust fans and power generators to ensure round-the-clock power supply to ensure unhindered and uninterrupted functioning of the high-tech equipment and lighting in the tunnel.
A consultant has been arranged from the Pacific Construction International, a foreign firm, to train local staff to operate computerised equipment installed for the operation, maintenance and safety of the tunnel.
Around 200 workers and engineers would work in three shifts to keep equipment in operation for 24 hours.
Initially, entry of tractor-trolleys, oil tankers, vehicles carrying fodder for cattle and explosive material would be banned.
Similarly, as a precautionary measure, speed limit for the vehicular traffic has been fixed at 40 kilometres per hour to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic in the tunnel.
The NHA, according to sources, was also planning installing a small grid station of its own to ensure round-the-clock power supply to the tunnel.