In a significant infrastructure development move, the Executive Committee of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has ratified the construction of two major motorways—M-12 starting from Sialkot to Kharian and M-13 (Kharian to Rawalpindi)—as six-lane roads from the start.
Future-Proofing with a Six-Lane Design
Instead of planning to expand the motorways later, the committee opted to construct all six lanes from the outset. This forward-thinking decision is expected to save the national exchequer around Rs 11 billion. According to recent traffic feasibility studies, waiting until 2027 to expand the roads would have cost an extra Rs 20.7 billion. By building the full capacity now, the government aims to avoid future disruptions and higher construction costs.
Collaboration and Strategic Planning
The decision was made following all the detailed consultations with the main stakeholders, including the National Highway Authority and the Frontier Works Organization. The NHA has now been directed to prepare and submit a comprehensive position paper and a revised financing plan to the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives.
Read more: Karachi Port to Sukkur motorway planned for 2025 to connect country’s north and south
Additionally, the NHA is anticipated to submit a revised project proposal for the M-13 Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway by April 30, 2025. This is expected to open the pathways for the upcoming steps in the project’s formal ratification and eventual execution.
Update on the M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway
The SIFC committee also tracked the progress of the M-6 from Sukkur to Hyderabad motorway project. The NHA shared a revised cost estimate of Rs 399 billion. The construction of M-6 will be carried out in almost 5 phases, with the bidding process for the first phase scheduled to start in October 2025.
Financing and Connectivity Goals
In order to finance these mega-scale projects, the NHA is exploring various options, including
- Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)
- Government-to-Government (G2G) agreements
- Loans from international institutions
Special emphasis has also been put on improving linkages between the M-6 and M-10 motorways to boost logistics and enhance access to Karachi Port.
These ambitious motorway projects are meant to improve
- Transportation efficiency
- Regional connectivity
- Economic development