Pakistan approves new motorway to ease Karachi traffic

Dubai: The Pakistan government has approved the M-10 Motorway, a landmark infrastructure project aimed at decongesting Karachi, enhancing transport efficiency, and strengthening country’s national motorway network.

The 168-kilometer motorway, featuring 10 interchanges, will connect Karachi directly to the M-6 at Jamshoro, passing through the Kirthar Mountain Range.

The motorway project is designed as a two-segment mega initiative. The first segment upgrades the 34km Karachi Northern Bypass from the ICI Bridge to Hamdard University Chowk into an eight-lane motorway.

The second segment is a 134km six-lane motorway from Hamdard University Chowk to Jamshoro. Additionally, a 23km stretch linking Hamdard University Chowk to the M-9 will be upgraded to six lanes, creating a high-capacity corridor from Karachi Port to the national motorway network, bypassing the city’s congested arteries.

Federal Communications Minister Aleem Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah discussed the project, emphasising its strategic importance for trade, logistics, and regional development. The motorway will divert heavy goods traffic from city roads, reducing travel time, improving road safety, and easing congestion for millions of daily commuters.

The project is expected to significantly boost economic activity, facilitating faster movement of goods to and from Karachi Port and enhancing trade links with interior Sindh and other provinces. Businesses and transport operators will benefit from reduced logistics costs and more reliable travel times, while local communities along the route can expect improved access to markets, services, and employment opportunities.

The M-10 project is being implemented under the supervision of the National Highway Authority (NHA), with feasibility studies conducted by NESPAK. It complements the M-6 Motorway connecting Hyderabad to Sukkur, which is divided into four sections and carries an investment of Rs363 billion. Together, the M-6 and M-10 motorways will strengthen Pakistan’s north-south transport backbone, linking Karachi to Peshawar and boosting regional connectivity.

Chief Minister Shah highlighted that the project would resolve Karachi’s chronic traffic bottlenecks, while Minister Khan assured the government’s full support to ensure timely completion. Once operational, the M-10 is expected to cut travel times drastically, improve road safety, and provide a seamless corridor for commercial and passenger traffic, paving the way for sustainable economic growth across southern Sindh and beyond.