Existed: 2018 – present South end: Sukkur (M6) Constructed 2018 | North end: Multan (M4) Length 392 km | |
Major cities Rahim Yar Khan, Ghotki, Shujabad | ||
The M5 (Urdu: موٹروے 5) is an under construction north-south motorway in Pakistan, which will connect Multan to Sukkur. The motorway is 392 km long.
Contents
History
It was devised in the early 1990s under as the M5 Motorway. It is now considered a major component of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, and will cost approximately $6.6 billion, with the bulk of financing to be distributed by various Chinese state-owned banks. Approval for a Chinese-financed motorway between Karachi and Lahore predates the formal announcement of CPEC, and was granted in July 2014. Plans for such a motorway linking the two cities was first devised over 25 years ago, with construction works on Pakistan's first motorway projects commencing in 1991.
Route
The 392 kilometer Multan to Sukkur section of the motorway is estimated to cost $2.89 billion, and will be six lanes wide. 90% of the project's cost is to be financed through concessionary loans from China, while the remaining will be financed by government of Pakistan. The Pakistani government in January 2016 awarded the contact to build this section to China State Construction Engineering. It is due to be completed in December 2017. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the Multan-Sukkur Motorway on May 6, 2016. Starting from Multan the six lane motorway would pass through Jalalpur, Peerwala, Ahmed Pur East, Rahimyar Khan, Ubaro, Pano Aqil and end at Sukkur. The project would consist of 54 bridges including one major bridge on River Sutlej. The motorway will have 12 service areas, 10 rest areas, 11 interchanges, 10 flyovers, and 426 underpasses. The M5 Motorway project forms a cornerstone of the much-larger China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC projects are financed by concessionary loans with interest rates of 1.6%. China will finance up to 90% of the cost, while the remaining 10% is to be financed by the Public Sector Development Programme of the Pakistani government.