The Multan Sukkur Motorway is a 392 km stretch of road that cuts the travel distance between the two cities from the previous haul of 463 km. It would allow the distance between the two cities to be covered within four hours at a speed of 120 km/h. It’s the largest infrastructure project within the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its first phase was inaugurated by Prime Minister Abbasi.
The project was completed before the stipulated time and is a 33 km stretch of road with six lanes. The project, when complete, is meant to connect the southern port city of Karachi with the northern city of Peshawar, navigating through the densely populated provinces of Sindh and Punjab.
The motorway, named M-5, will have 11 interchanges, 22 toll plazas equipped with the latest technology, 6 public service areas, five rest areas, 107 underpasses, 188 subway and a hundred bridges. The project is scheduled for completion in August 2019.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by China’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Yao Jing, who remarked that after five years of CPEC being signed, the project is becoming reality. He also mentioned that Chinese companies working on CPEC have provided 100,000 jobs to local laborers and accomplished several welfare projects including the establishment of several training centers and restoration of schools.
