Rahim Yar Khan: The Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5) will be operational from October 1, according to a news source. Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to perform the inauguration ceremony to open the highway for traffic.
Project Manager Ge Lingbo stated that the M-5 has been completed within the stipulated deadline of three years, and has been constructed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). He also brought attention to the fact that this is the first completed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The M-5 has 100 bridges, 428 underpasses/subways, 12 interchanges, 22 toll stations, five rest areas, and six service areas.
Lingbo also revealed that the interchanges are at Sukkur, Rahim Yar Khan, Ghotki, Pannu Aqil, Zahirpir, Murid Shakh, Uch Sharif, Shujaabad, Sher Shah, Jalalpur Pirwala, Taranda Muhammad Panna, and Khairpur Daha. Meanwhile, the service areas are at Ghotki, Uch Sharif, Shujaabad, Pannu Aqil, Jamaldin Wali, and Fatehpur Kamal.
He further said that the M-5 is a six-lane highway with seven sections of 54-57 KM each. In addition, CSCEC has planted 400,000 trees along the M-5’s service road to keep pollution in check. The deputy managers of M-5, Mr Chen Jun and Mr Liyu, stated that the project would protect the south western areas of the Indus basin from flooding.
After its completion, this project is being handed over to the National Highways Authority (NHA) for its final stages. The NHA will recruit police, construct the service areas, and provide technical facilities for motorists using the highway. The M-5 will reduce travel time between Multan and Sukkur by about three to six hours.
