Murree Expressway - N75
| |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length: | 90 km (60 mi) |
| History: | Completed in 2011 |
| Major junctions | |
| South end: | Islamabad |
| North end: | Kohala |
| Location | |
| Major cities: | Islamabad, Phulgran, Upper Topa, Murree, Lower Topa, Bhurban, Aliyot, Phagwari |
| Highway system | |
| Motorways of Pakistan | |
The Murree Expressway (N-75), also known as the Islamabad-Murree Expressway or the Islamabad-Murree-Muzaffarabad Expressway is a four-lane expressway connecting Rawalpindi/Islamabad to Murree, Punjab and onwards to Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Route
The Expressway passes through Barakahu, Murree, Phulgran, Upper Topa, Lower Topa, Bhurban, Aliyot and Phagwari before ending just outside Kohala.
Attractions
Apart from other small attractions and roadside restaurants, the Expressway includes the Lower Topa Hills Resort project, which is the first Five Star Resort planned on the main Highway.
It is the only resort project on the Expressway that is situated on an elevation, rather than on the mainland.
Other major development projects include only the Bahria Golf City, that is located just at the start of the highway.
Lower Topa Hills Resort [project underway]
"The LOWER TOPA HILLS RESORT is the epitome in highland resort destinations, providing various state-of-the-art consumer attractions and amenities, all in the same location, allowing tourists an enjoyable holiday retreat and entertainment in Murree.
Stretching between two hill peaks – forming a piedmont, the Lower Topa Hills Resort is situated on the main Expressway leading from Islamabad to Murree.
Only a 45-minute drive from Islamabad, the location of the project is at the prime of the Lower Topa – providing magnificent, breathtaking views of the Murree and adjoining valleys without the hassle of a long and tiring journey."
Development
The project incurred an estimated cost of 2.949 Billion Pak Rupees.
The Expressway has only ONE service area and fuel station, located at the Lower Topa, just outside the Lower Topa Hills Resort.
Construction of the Expressway started during the tenure of President Musharraf and he referred to it in his farewell address to the nation in August 2008.
History
The Project was first named as the "Islamabad - Murree Dual Carriageway" but was changed to "Islamabad-Kohala Expressway (N-75)".
The construction for the Islamabad-Murree Expressway started on 19 September 1999, and it was completed in May 2008.
It was inaugurated by Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani in 2011. He termed it a new strategic link with Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK.).
See also
- Motorways of Pakistan
- National Highways of Pakistan
- Transport in Pakistan
- National Highway Authority