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Motorways of Pakistan

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A section of Pakistan's M2 Motorway
The Pakistan motorway sign

The Motorways of Pakistan are a network of multiple-lane, high-speed, limited-access or controlled-access highways in Pakistan, which are owned, maintained and operated federally by Pakistan's National Highway Authority.

Expressways are similar to motorways with lesser access restrictions and are owned, maintained and operated either federally or provincially.

Features

Roadmap of Pakistan's National Highways and Motorways

Length

As of September 2012, operational motorways in Pakistan had a combined length of 679.5 km with another 278 km under construction. Another 1,200 km of motorways and expressways are planned over the next 10 years.

Lanes

Pakistan's motorways are either 6 or 4 lanes, with all 4-lane motorways upgradable to 6-lanes as traffic on them increases.

Speed limit

Pakistan's motorways have a universal minimum speed limit of 60 km/h and a maximum speed limit of 110 km/h for heavy transport vehicles and 120 km/h for light transport vehicles. In sections of the motorway that pass through hilly or mountainous terrain, the minimum and maximum speed limits are reduced.

Separation

Pakistan's motorways have a central raised concrete median and grade-separated junctions.

Access

Vehicles

Access to Pakistan's motorways is restricted to fast moving vehicles only, including high-performance heavy bikes. The motorways are fenced on either side for safety and prevention of unauthorized access by pedestrians, animals and slow-moving vehicles. Pedestrians, bicycles, low-performance motorcycles, animal-driven carriages and other slow-moving vehicles are not permitted on the motorways.

Tolling

Toll plazas are located on all entry and exit points of Pakistan's motorways and are equipped with a computerized tolling system. Computerized entry cards with magnetic strips are issued at entry points and tolls are levied at exit points depending on vehicle category and distance travelled.

Numbering

All motorways in Pakistan are pre-fixed with the letter "M" (for "Motorway") followed by the unique numerical designation of the specific motorway. Each numerical designation is separated by a single numeral, i.e. M-1, M-2, M-3, etc. Expressways are pre-fixed with the letter "E".

List of motorways

Motorways
Name & Sign Course Length Lanes Completion Year Status Remarks
M-1 Peshawar – Islamabad 155 km 6 2007 Operational
M-2 Islamabad – Lahore 367 km 6 1997 Operational
M-3 Pindi Bhattian (M-2) – Faisalabad 54 km 4 2003 Operational Connects M2 near Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad
M-4 Faisalabad – Multan 233 km 4 2014 Under Construction Under construction since 2009
M-5 Multan – Dera Ghazi Khan 80 km 4 N/A Planned
M-6 Dera Ghazi Khan – Ratodero 365 km 4 N/A Planned
M-7 Dadu – Hub 270 km 4 N/A Planned
M-8 Ratodero – Gwadar 892 km 4 2016 Partially Operational/Under Construction 2-lane Ratodero-Khuzdar section complete and operationalized. 2 lanes nearing completion, 2 additional lanes to be added in future
M-9 Hyderabad – Karachi 136 km 6 2014 Under Construction Upgradation of existing Super Highway into 6-lane motorway
M-10 M-9 – N-25 (Karachi Northern Bypass) 57 km 4 2009 Operational Currently 2-lanes, to be upgraded to 4-lanes

N/A = Not Available

List of expressways

Expressways
Sign Course Length Lanes Completion Year Status Remarks
E-1 Torkham – Peshawar 65 km 4 N/A Planned Will link Pakistan-Afghanistan Border at Torkham with M-1
E-1 Peshawar Northern Bypass 32 km 4 2013 Under Construction Will link M-1 with N-5[1]
E-1 Peshawar Ring Road 25 km 6 N/A Under Construction Orbital expressway around Peshawar
linked to M-1 and N-5
E-35 Hasan Abdal – Mansehra 110 km 4 N/A Planned Via Abbottabad
Will link M-1 and N-5 with Karakorum Highway
E-75 Islamabad – Murree – Muzaffarabad 130 km 4 2011/2015 Partially Operational/Under Construction Islamabad-Murree section operational
E-? Rawat – Thalian 29 km 4 N/A Planned
E-? Lahore Northern Bypass 7.5 km 4 2006 Operational Links M-2 to N-5
E-? Lahore Ring Road 85 km 6 2011 (Northern Loop) 40 km Northern Loop Operational
45 km Southern Loop Planned 		Orbital expressway around Lahore
linked to M-2 and N-5
E-? Lahore – Nankana Sahib 63 km 4 N/A Planned
E-3 Pindi Bhattian – Wazirabad 100 km 2 2015 Under Construction
E-4 Faisalabad – Khanewal 184 km 2 N/A Planned
E-5 Khanewal – Lodhran 100 km 2 N/A Planned
Lyari Expressway Lyari Expressway (Karachi) 17 km 8 2010 Operational Links M-9 to Mauripur Road, Karachi

N/A = Not Available

History

Pakistan's motorways are part of Pakistan's "National Trade Corridor Project",[2] which aims to link Pakistan's three Arabian Sea ports (Karachi Port, Port Bin Qasim and Gwadar Port) to the rest of the country through its national highways and motorways network and further north with Afghanistan, Central Asia and China.

M-1 Motorway

Pakistan's third motorway, the 155 km 6-lane M-1, linking Peshawar with the federal capital, Islamabad, has been operational since 30 October 2007.

M-2 Motorway

Pakistan's first motorway, the 367 km 6-lane M-2, connecting the cities of Islamabad and Lahore, was constructed by South Korea's Daewoo Corporation and was inaugurated in November 1997 and was the first motorway to be built in South Asia.[3]

M-3 Motorway

The plan to construct Pakistan's second motorway, the 54 km 4-lane M-3, linking the Pindi Bhattian Junction on the M-2 with Faisalabad was finalized in 1996 with an estimated cost of Rs. 8 billion. Initially, it was planned to have 6-lanes, however, due to the shortage of funds, it was decided reduce the number of lanes to 4 with an option to upgrade it to 6-lanes in future. Construction of the M-3 began in May 2002 and it was completed ahead of schedule in September 2003 at a cost of Rs 5.3 billion. It was inaugurated and opened for traffic on 2 October 2003. Two bridges, one over a railway track and the second on a canal, were constructed on the motorway, while two interchanges near Sahianwala and Faisalabad were constructed in the second phase.[4]

M-4 Motorway

Construction of Pakistan's fourth motorway, the 233 km 4-lane M-4, began on 19 August 2009. Once completed, it will link Multan with the M-3 Motorway at Faisalabad.

M-5 Motorway

The M-5 is a planned 80 km long, 4-lane motorway that will link Multan with Dera Ghazi Khan. It will be constructed after the completion of the M-4 Motorway.

M-6 Motorway

The M-6 is a planned 365 km long, 4 lane motorway that will link Dera Ghazi Khan with Ratodero. It will be constructed after the completion of the M-5 Motorway.

M-7 Motorway

The M-7 is a planned 270 km long, 4-lane motorway that will link Dadu with Hub.

M-8 Motorway

The 892 km 4-lane M-8 is under-construction in Sindh and Balochistan provinces. Initially, it will have 2 lanes with a further 2 lanes planned. The 4 lane motorway will be upgradable to 6 lanes. Once completed it will directly link the port city of Gwadar with the rest of Pakistan's motorway network at Ratodero where it will link up with the M-6 Dera Ghazi Khan-Ratodero Motorway.

M-9 Motorway

The current 4-lane Hyderabad-Karachi "Super Highway" is in the process of being upgraded into a 6-lane access-controlled motorway, designated the "M-9". Expression of Interest (EOI) were invited by the National Highway Authority (NHA) in May 2011.[5] The NHA awarded the Rs. 24.93 billion contract to the Malaysian construction company, Bina Puri Holdings Bhd, on Built Operate Transfer (BOT) basis in January 2012.[6] The proposed 136-km long motorway will be completed in three years. The M-9 Motorway will have 7 interchanges, 2 service areas at the midway points and 16 toll plazas on entry and exit points.[7]

Patrolling and enforcement

A patrol car of Pakistan's National Highways & Motorway Police on the M-2 Motorway.

Pakistan's Motorways are patrolled by Pakistan's National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP), which is responsible for enforcement of traffic and safety laws, security and recovery on the Pakistan Motorway network. The NH&MP use SUVs, cars and heavy motorbikes for patrolling purposes and uses speed cameras for enforcing speed limits. Motorists can access them nationwide on 130 from both mobiles and landlines.

Emergency runways

The M-1 motorway (Peshawar-Islamabad) and the M-2 motorway (Islamabad-Lahore) each include two emergency runway sections of 9,000 ft. length each. The four emergency runway sections become operational by removing removable concrete medians using forklifts. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has used the M-2 motorway as a runway on two occasions: for the first time in 2000 when it landed an F-7P fighter, a Super Mushak trainer and a C-130 and, again, in 2010. On the last occasion, the PAF used a runway section on the M-2 motorway on 2 April 2010 to land, refuel and take-off two jet fighters, a Mirage III and an F-7P, during its Highmark 2010 exercise.[8]

Gallery

M-1 Motorway (Peshawar-Islamabad)

  • M-1 Motorway
    M-1 Motorway
  • M-1 Motorway
    M-1 Motorway
  • M-1 Motorway
    M-1 Motorway
  • M-1 Motorway approaching Islamabad
    M-1 Motorway approaching Islamabad
  • M-1 Motorway
    M-1 Motorway
  • Indus River Bridge on M-1 Motorway
    Indus River Bridge on M-1 Motorway
  • A bridge over the M-1 Motorway
    A bridge over the M-1 Motorway
  • Road runway section on the M-1 Motorway with removable medians
    Road runway section on the M-1 Motorway with removable medians

M-2 Motorway (Islamabad-Lahore)

  • M-2 Motorway
    M-2 Motorway
  • M-2 Motorway with the M-3 Motorway bridge overhead
    M-2 Motorway with the M-3 Motorway bridge overhead
  • Lilla Interchange on the M-2 Motorway
    Lilla Interchange on the M-2 Motorway
  • M-2 Motorway approaching the Salt Range
    M-2 Motorway approaching the Salt Range
  • M-2 Motorway crossing the Salt Range
    M-2 Motorway crossing the Salt Range
  • M-2 Motorway in the Salt Range with a Motorway Bridge in the distance
    M-2 Motorway in the Salt Range with a Motorway Bridge in the distance
  • Bridge on the M-2 Motorway in the Salt Range
    Bridge on the M-2 Motorway in the Salt Range
  • M-2 Motorway crossing the Potohar Plateau
    M-2 Motorway crossing the Potohar Plateau
  • A roadsign on the M-2 Motorway
    A roadsign on the M-2 Motorway
  • Road runway section on the M-2 Motorway with removable medians
    Road runway section on the M-2 Motorway with removable medians
  • Car-eye view of the M-2 Motorway
    Car-eye view of the M-2 Motorway
  • Car-eye view of the M-2 Motorway passing through the Salt Range
    Car-eye view of the M-2 Motorway passing through the Salt Range

See also

References

  1. ^ http://downloads.nha.gov.pk/nhadocs/bidding-documents-construstion-of-peshawar-northern-bypass-package-ii-charsada-road-warsak-road-part-01-vol-iii.pdf
  2. ^ http://www.adb.org/Documents/Environment/PAK/40075/40075-PAK-SEIA.pdf
  3. ^ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17441654
  4. ^ http://archives.dawn.com/2003/10/02/nat30.htm
  5. ^ http://nha.gov.pk/nhadocs/expression-of-interest-eoi-for-conversion-of-existing-4-lane-karachi-haderabad-superhighway-into-6-lane-motorway-m-9.pdf
  6. ^ http://www.binapuri.com.my/Inv_Info/press/2012/Jan12/20120113-TheEdgeFinancialDaily.pdf
  7. ^ http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/108-pakistan-top-news/42229-karachi-hyderabad-motorway-m-9-nha-awarding-rs2493bn-contract-to-malaysian-firm-.html
  8. ^ http://www.paf.gov.pk/press_release/uploaded/MOTORWAY-RELEASE02-04-10.pdf

External links

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