The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) has successfully completed excavation of the fifth tunnel on the relocated portion of the Karakoram Highway, also known as the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway. The Dogah Tunnel is one of the seven tunnels in Phase 1 of the relocated highway, KKH-01.

The highway is being relocated because a 46-kilometre stretch of the existing road will be submerged in the Dasu Dam, which is currently under construction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province. The tunnel, with a total length of 1,242 meters, represents a critical advancement in strengthening regional connectivity and infrastructure development, a senior engineer involved in the construction of the project wrote.

The breakthrough was achieved on July 14, a source said. He added that excavation of the remaining two tunnels will be achieved within two months. The total length of the relocated KKH will be 62 kilometres, according to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). The relocated KKH has been divided into two Phases i.e., KKH-01 and KKH-02. Phase 1 (KKH-01) will serve as a bypass to avoid interference in construction activities at the dam site.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China