TOBA TEK SINGH/FAISALABAD - Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Mian Muhammad Shafiq Saturday said that the Shorkot-Khanewal section of M-4 motorway will be completed within the next couple of months.
Inaugurating Gojra-Shorkot section of M-4 Motorway at Toba Tek Singh Interchange here he said the construction work on Lahore-Multan section of Lahore-Karachi motorway was also in full swings which would be completed on war-footings.
He said that M-4 motorway would link Northern parts of the country with Karachi and Gawadar ports and help to offload the existing road network. "This four-lane motorway will contribute its role in enhancing business activities in this region.
It would also be the shortest route linking Faisalabad and Multan with Karachi. Thus it would also play a major role in trimming the transportation cost of exportable surplus," he added.
He hoped that the project would generate much-needed economic and industrial activities in addition to creating new job opportunities for the unemployed youth in the far-flung and backward areas of Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh and Shorkot. It would also provide an opportunity to transport agriculture produce to the major markets of the country, he said.
About benefits of this major infrastructure project, he said that it would strengthen linkages between South and North parts of the country in addition to create new jobs and economic activities through enhanced connectivity.
He said that this route had also linked South Punjab with M-1, M-2 and M-3 motorways by providing a shortcut to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Road safety was yet another hallmark of this motorway. It would also serve as a transit facility for China and Central Asian states to make their exports to the oil-rich Gulf States, Europe and America.
Mian Shafiq said that Gojra-Shorkot section was 61km long which had been divided into two parts. 31km portion was from Gojra to Jamani which had been completed with Rs7.45 billion and Rs900 million was saved from this project as its actual cost was Rs8.35 billion.
The second portion from of this section was Jamani to Shorkot which was 30km long. Its estimated cost was Rs9.05 billion but it was also completed with Rs8.65 billion, thus with a saving of Rs400 million, he added.
He said that collective saving of Rs1,300 million was ensured during the completing of Gojra-Shorkot section of M-4 motorway.
He said that speed limit of this motorway will be 120 km per hour and it has three interchanges with 9 major bridges.
Inspector General (IG) Motorways AD Khawaja, Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Jawad Rafique Malik, MNA Riaz Fitiyana, and others were also present.