M-5 motorway (Pakistan)

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M-5 motorway
ایم ٥ موٹروے
Multan–Sukkur Motorway
Route information
Maintained by National Highway Authority
Length392 km[1] (244 mi)
Existed2018; 6 years ago (2018)–present
Major junctions
North end Multan
South end Sukkur
Location
CountryPakistan
Major cities
Highway system
← M-4→ M-6

The M-5 motorway (Urdu: ایم ٥ موٹروے), also known as Multan–Sukkur Motorway (Urdu: ملتان سکھر موٹروے), is a north–south motorway in Pakistan, which connects Multan with Sukkur. The motorway is a 392 km long,[2] high-speed (120 km/h), controlled-access, six-lane motorway that forms part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.[3][4]

It is currently the longest motorway in Pakistan.[5]

History[edit]

The approval for the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) was granted in July 2014,[6] with an estimated cost of Rs. 200 billion (equivalent to US$2.5 billion in 2023).[7] In May 2016, the Pakistani government awarded the contract to build this section to China State Construction Engineering,[3] with the completion date being August 2019.[3] Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif performed the groundbreaking on 6 May 2016,[8] while the actual ground work started in August 2016.

The M-5 motorway project forms a cornerstone of the much-larger China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.[9] Construction covered 21 Chinese residential camps and 23 Pakistani workers camps with hundreds of working sites, directly providing jobs to nearly 30,000 Pakistanis at peak time.[10] The motorway was inaugurated on 5 November 2019 in the 9th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting in Islamabad.[11]

Cost and financing[edit]

The total cost of the motorway was estimated to be around $2.89 billion.[5]The Multan–Sukkur Motorway (M-5) cost approximately $2.94 billion, with the bulk of financing financed by various Chinese state-owned banks.[12] 90% of the project's cost was financed through concessionary loans on interest rates of 1.6% from China, while the remaining balance is financed by government of Pakistan.[13]

Route[edit]

Starting from Multan, the six-lane motorway passes through Shujabad, Jalalpur Pirwala, Ahmedpur East, Rahimyar Khan, Sadiqabad, Ubauro, and Pano Aqil before it terminates at Sukkur.[5] The project consists of 54 bridges, including one major bridge on the river Sutlej. The motorway has 12 service areas, 10 rest areas, 11 interchanges, 10 flyovers, and 426 underpasses.[14]

Interchanges[edit]

Interchange Exit Destinations
Multan 1 Bahawalpur Road
Shujaabad 2 Lodhran Road
Jalalpur Pirwala 3 Lodhran Road
Bahawalpur 4 Bahawalpur-DHA N-5
Uch Sharif 5 Alipur Rd
Tarinda 6 Tarinda Muhammad Panah Road
Zahir Peer 7 Chachran Sharif Road
Rahim Yar Khan Toll Plaza 8 Rahim Yar Khan N-5
Guddu 9 Sadiqabad Kashmore Road
Ghotki 10 JDW Unit 3 Sugar Mill Road
Pano Aqil 11 Local Road
Sukkur 12 Rohri/Sukkur N-5

References[edit]

  1. ^ "M5 motorway Length". nha.gov.pk. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5)". National Highway Authority. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "China's CSCEC to build $2.9bn motorway in Pakistan as part of planned 'corridor'". Global Construction Review. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  4. ^ "A safer, greener motorway in Pakistan". SMEC Foundation. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Abbas, Ghulam (24 September 2019). "Multan-Sukkur motorway inauguration delayed as China wants grand opening". Profit by Pakistan Today. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Karachi to Lahore motorway project approved". Dawn. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Karachi-Lahore motorway: Project to be completed in 3 years". The Express Tribune. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  8. ^ "PM performs groundbreaking of Sukkur-Multan Motorway". The Express Tribune. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Economic corridor: China to extend assistance at 1.6 percent interest rate – Business Recorder". Business Recorder. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Sukkur-Multan motorway hallmark of China-Pakistan friendship". Daily Times. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  11. ^ "Multan-Sukkur Motorway inaugurated at 9th JCC: Gwadar Master Plan approved and Two MoUs signed: Joint Project Financing Group formed to take forward ML-I: CPEC a gateway for progress and prosperity for a bright future: Khusro Bakhtyar | China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Official Website". cpec.gov.pk. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Karachi-Lahore motorway: Project to be completed in 3 years". Pakistan Tribune. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015. 700 Billion Pak rupees = $6.6 billion USD as of December 16, 2015
  13. ^ Haider, Mehtab (28 May 2014). "Govt allocates Rs73 billion for Pakistan-China trade corridor". The News International. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  14. ^ Rafique, Faisal (6 May 2016). "PM Nawaz Sharif inaugurates Multan-Sukkur motorway". Geo News. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
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