ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lay foundation stone of Karachi-Lahore Motorway on December 19, 2015.
During the question hour in the House on Thursday, the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmad told that Karachi-Lahore Motorway will cost Rs680 billion and will be completed in 30 months.
The State minister further told that House that funds have been allocated for the construction of various roads under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The Karachi-Lahore Motorway is part of the $46 billion CPEC, aimed at upgrading and expanding Pakistani infrastructure. The CPEC will link Pakistan’s southwestern Gwadar Port to China’s northwestern autonomous region of Xinjiang via a vast network of highways and railways.
Earlier in March 2015, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of first phase of Karachi-Lahore motorway project which included the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway. The phase from Karachi to Hyderabad will be completed at a cost of Rs36 billion in 2.5 years.
The Karachi–Lahore Motorway sometimes referred to as ‘KLM’ is a 1,152 km high-speed, access-controlled, 6-lane motorway project. The project will facilitate transit between Karachi and other cities including Hyderabad, Matiari, Tando Adam, Shahdadpur, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Sukkur, Pano Aqil, Ghotki, Abaro, Sadiqabad, Rahim yar Khan, Zahir Pir, Jalalpur Pirwala, Multan, Khanewal, Abdul Hakim, Pir Mahal, Samundri, Jaranwala and Nankana Sahib.
Once the Karachi-Lahore motorway is completed, Karachi will be linked to Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir directly through 6-lane high speed, access-controlled road network.
The motorway will also link to the 6-lane Hazara Motorway, stretching from Islamabad/ Rawalpindi to Mansehra. The road will be linked to the high-speed Karakoram Highway (KKH), partly under construction.
The ‘KLM’ has been divided into four sections including 136-kilometer Karachi–Hyderabad Motorway, 296-kilometer Hyderabad–Sukkur Motorway, 387-kilometer Sukkur–Multan Motorway and 333-kilometer Multan–Lahore Motorway.
Moreover, the Multan-Lahore Motorway has also been divided into the two sections which include 57-kilometer Multan–Khanewal Motorway and under construction 229-kilometer Abdul Hakim-Lahore Motorway.
