S-1 Strategic Highway

Strategic Highway S–Template:Route
Route information
Maintained by National Highway Authority
Length 167 km[1] (104 mi)
Existed 1982 – present
Major junctions
West end Juglot
East end Skardu
Highway system
Roads in Pakistan

Strategic Highway 1 (S-1) or more popularly known as Gilgit–Skardu Road (Urdu, Shina, Balti: گگلت سکردو سڑک‬) or Skardu Road is a 167 km long Strategic Highway linking Gilgit with Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan territory.

Route

Dangerous Skardu Road

The highway begins south of Gilgit on the N-35 National Highway (Karakoram Highway), near Juglot, and extends eastwards towards Skardu city. Initially the surface was gravel, but over the years some sections were paved. The road is winding and in some places only wide enough for one vehicle to pass. On other parts of the highway it is bordered by a cliff drop of hundreds of meters unprotected by guardrails. Total travel time between Gilgit and Skardu is around 8 hours.

The highway can be blocked for weeks at a time depending on conditions (though two to five days is more common). The road ends in Skardu, the capital of Skardu District and Baltistan division, at an elevation of 2,226 m (7,303 ft) above the sea level. It is one of the most dangerous roads in the world. The road has not been repaired since its construction.

It was constructed by Pakistan Army Engineers with the Association of Chinese Engineers in 1982.

Improvements and upgrades

The Skardu Road Project has been facing delays since 2008. Repairing and widening has still not begun, despite an announcement by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in April 2015, during his visit to Gilgit.

The proposed Gilgit-Skardu Expressway plans to rebuild the entire highway at a cost of ₨40 billion (US$380 million).[2] As of September 2017, construction had started.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nha.gov.pk/OLDSITE/FAQ/Faq.asp%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  2. ↑ "Gilgit-Skardu road project faces delay despite PM's orders". Dawn.com. September 14, 2015.
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