Pakistan’s new Karachi-Hyderabad highway

Pakistan is planning a new motorway between Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh Province. The country will build a new motorway stretching over 150km from Karachi to Hyderabad in Sindh Province. This will meet the growing transportation requirements from Karachi’s port to the rest of the country.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to ensure that the feasibility study for the new motorway project from Karachi to Hyderabad is conducted within three months, and its report is sent to the relevant quarters for approval.

The existing M09 motorway on the same route is insufficient to meet the growing demands. This realisation of the current limitations underscores the necessity of the new project despite the local issues it may cause during its expansion.

An SHC division bench headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar said the NHA apprised the court about the new motorway scheme being considered, and a joint feasibility study from consultants of Pakistan and China has yet to be submitted.

The court said there is a serious need for more access to Karachi, a port city that generates huge revenue for the nation. The NHA chairperson must ensure that the feasibility report is prepared and placed before the relevant quarters within three months and that the scheme is approved.

The new motorway project, which will connect the province's capital, a metropolitan city, with a motorway of the same standard as other parts of the country, holds great promise. It will provide safe access for all residents, business owners, and other stakeholders, significantly improving the transportation infrastructure and contributing to the region's economic development. This optimistic outlook is a key aspect of the project.

The present 136km M-9 motorway built on the old Super Highway, linking the Karachi–Hyderabad, is a six-lane and caters to commercial traffic from the Karachi Port and Port Qasim. Superhighway Construction Operation & Rehabilitation Engineering (SCORE Pvt Ltd), a wholly owned subsidiary of Frontier Works Organization (FWO), took the construction, operation and maintenance of the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9) under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) regime on BOT basis. The company has entered into a concession agreement for 25 years with the NHA SCORE (Pvt) Ltd. will operate and manage this road till the year 2040 and then will be transferred to NHA. On 24 December 2020, a new toll plaza was inaugurated on the M-9. Construction on the 136km-long six-lane motorway began in Sept 2015 and was expected to be completed by March 2018 for Rs36 billion.