Faisalabad-Khanewal section M-4 Motorway status update
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ISLAMABAD: (APP) The 184-km Faisalabad-Khanewal (M-4), a part of the north-south transport corridor, would be completed at a cost of US$ 170 million by March 2018.
The 58-km Faisalabad-Gojra section of the motorway, financed by the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) was completed and operational under Asian Development Bank (ADB) financing, Member Motorways (South), National Highway Authority (NHA) Mansoor A. Sirohey said on Friday.
Talking to APP, he informed, the work on 62-km Gojra-Shorkot section was being carried out on a fast pace.
The loan and grant agreements were signed in last year while civil work contracts were signed in the same year.
He said, mobilization advance was paid to the contractors and earthwork was initiated on April 2016, he added.
The Member Motorway (NHA) said, the contract for the construction of 64-km Shorkot-Khanewal section had also been awarded.
Giving details of already completed Faisalabad-Gjora section, he said, three interchanges, 11 bridges and 19 underpasses were constructed to ensure smooth flow of the traffic.
He said, keeping in view the future requirements, all the structure of the motorway was made to widen it upto six lanes.
Responding to a question, he said, the motorway M-4, connecting Faisalabad with Multan, would be a part of the north-south transport corridor.
"Its area of influence, which includes Faisalabad, Multan, and the entire Punjab province, accounts for about 56 percent of the country's population and for 59 percent of the country's GDP," he added.
Mansoor Sirohey said, the M-4 would extend the already completed M-1, M-2 and M-3 motorways southward and shorten the distance between Multan and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi in the north.
The project would improve the institutional capacity of the National Highway Authority (NHA), particularly for managing safeguards and contracts.
He said, achievement of the project's full benefits would depend on the completion of remaining Gorja-Shorkot and Shorkot-Khanewal section being completed with the financial support of ADB, AIIB and DFID.
Upon completion, the new M-4 will provide a four-lane access-controlled alternative to the existing narrow and congested routes, notably in the heavily trafficked Faisalabad and Khanewal-Multan-Muzaffargarh areas.
He said, this motorway would facilitate north-south connectivity, improve quality and efficiency and road transport services, and promote inclusive economic growth.
