Motorways of Pakistan - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Motorways of Pakistan are the nationally coordinated high-speed, limited-access or controlled-access highways in Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, and maintained and operated by the National Highway Authority

National Highway Authority

The National Highway Authority is responsible for building and maintaining highways and motorways in Pakistan. The objective of the NHA is to "plan, promote and organize programmes for construction, development, operation, repairs & maintenance of National Highways, Motorways & strategic roads."-...

Features

All motorways are either 6-lane or 4-lane roads, with the option of expanding to 6-lanes, as (03432227222)congestion increases over time.

Total Length

As of August 2011, operational motorways in Pakistan had a combined length of 679.5 km with another 278 km were under construction. At least 1200 km of motorways are further planned over the next 10 years.

Speed Limit

The speed limit for "Heavy Transport Vehicles" is between 80 km/h to 100 km/h while "Light Transport Vehicles" have a speed limit of 120 km/h.

Access

Entry to all motorways are restricted to only fast moving vehicles, including high-performance heavy bikes. They have a central median and are fenced on either side for safety and prevention of unauthorized access by pedestrians, animals and slow-moving vehicles. Pedestrians, bicycles, low-performance motorcycles, animal-driven carriages and other slow-moving vehicles are not permitted.

National Trade Corridor

Pakistan's motorways are part of the "National Trade Corridor Project", which aims to link Pakistan's three Arabian Sea ports (Port of Karachi, Port Bin Qasim and Gwadar Port

Gwadar port

Gwadar Port is a developing warm-water, deep-sea port situated at Gwadar in Balochistan province of Pakistan at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the entrance of the Persian Gulf, about 460 km west of Karachi and approximately east of Pakistan's border with Iran...

) to the rest of the country and further north with Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

, Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

and China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

List of Motorways in Pakistan

Name	Route	Lanes	Length	Status	Remarks
M-1 M1 motorway (Pakistan) The M1 is a motorway in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is 155 km long, with 67 km in Punjab and the remaining 108 km in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It has become a vital link to Afghanistan and Central Asia and is expected to take much traffic off the highly used N5...	Peshawar Peshawar Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan.... - Islamabad Islamabad Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...	6 Lanes	155 km	Operational	Operational since October 2007
M-2 M2 motorway (Pakistan) The M-2 is a motorway in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is 367 km long and connects Lahore with Islamabad. It passes through Kala Shah Kaku, Sheikhupura, Khanqah Dogran,Kot Sarwar, Pindi Bhattian, Salem, Lilla, Kot Momin, Kallar Kahar, Balksar, and Chakri before ending just outside the...	Islamabad Islamabad Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011... - Lahore Lahore Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...	6 Lanes	367 km	Operational	Operational since November 1997
M-3 M3 motorway (Pakistan) The M3 is a motorway that links the city of Faisalabad with the M2 motorway. The M3 will eventually become an important link connecting southern Pakistan with the north. It is only 53 km long making it the shortest motorway of Pakistan. It has 2 junctions in between.-Route:The M3 starts at...	Pindi Bhattian - Faisalabad Faisalabad Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...	4 Lanes	54 km	Operational	Connects the M2 Pindi Bhattian junction to Faisalabad
M-4 M4 motorway (Pakistan) The M4 is an under construction motorway in Punjab province, Pakistan. It will be a 233 km long, 4-lane access controlled motorway with 8 junctions in the planning. It would connect the M3 to the M5 and the cities of Faisalabad and Multan...	Faisalabad Faisalabad Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has... - Multan Multan Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...	4 Lanes	233 km	Under Construction	Began construction in August 2009
M-5	Multan Multan Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi... - Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent....	4 Lanes	-	Planned
M-6	Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent.... - Ratodero Ratodero Ratodero is the capital of Ratodero Taluka a sub-division of Larkana District in the Sindh province of Pakistan, it is located some 30 km away from the district capital Larkana .Indo-Pak partition, the city has a special reputation for its sweet products. The most special is known as Mawa and...	4 Lanes	-	Planned
M-7	Dadu - Dureji Dureji Dureji is a town and union council of Lasbela District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is located at 25°53'9N 67°18'1E with an altitude of 219 metres.... - Hub	4 Lanes	270 km	Planned
M-8 M8 motorway (Pakistan) The M8 is an under-construction motorway in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.- Features :The M8 will have 4-lanes and a total length of 892 km...	Ratodero Ratodero Ratodero is the capital of Ratodero Taluka a sub-division of Larkana District in the Sindh province of Pakistan, it is located some 30 km away from the district capital Larkana .Indo-Pak partition, the city has a special reputation for its sweet products. The most special is known as Mawa and... - Gwadar Gwadar Gwadar also known as Godar is a developing port city on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. It is the district headquarters of Gwadar District in Balochistan province and has a population of approximately 50,000.Gwadar is strategically located at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the...	4 Lanes	892 km	Under Construction	Hoshab - Gwadar Gwadar Gwadar also known as Godar is a developing port city on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. It is the district headquarters of Gwadar District in Balochistan province and has a population of approximately 50,000.Gwadar is strategically located at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the... section 70% complete
M-9	Hyderabad - Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...	6 Lanes	136 km	Planned	M-9 is currently the 4-lane "Super Highway" with plans to upgrade to a 6-lane access-controlled motorway
M-10 Karachi Northern Bypass The M10 is a motorway located in Sindh province, Pakistan, however it is mostly referred to as the Karachi Northern Bypass. It is 57 km long and consists of 4 lanes .- Route :...	Linking M9 with N-25 north of Karachi	4 Lanes	57 km	Operational	Currently 2-lanes with additional 2-lanes planned
Lahore Northern Bypass	Linking M2 to N-5 north of Lahore	4 Lanes	7.5 km	Operational
Lahore Ring Road	Lahore orbital motorway (linked to M-2 M2 motorway (Pakistan) The M-2 is a motorway in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is 367 km long and connects Lahore with Islamabad. It passes through Kala Shah Kaku, Sheikhupura, Khanqah Dogran,Kot Sarwar, Pindi Bhattian, Salem, Lilla, Kot Momin, Kallar Kahar, Balksar, and Chakri before ending just outside the... and N-5)	6 Lanes	85 km	Partially Operational	40 km Operational, 45 km Under Construction

Patrolling and enforcement

Pakistan's Motorways are patrolled by Pakistan's National Highways and Motorway Police

National Highways and Motorway Police

National Highway and Motorway Police Pakistan is a Police Force responsible for the Law Enforcement of traffic rules and regulation on highways and newly constructed motorways of Pakistan.- History :...

(NH&MP), which is responsible for enforcement of traffic and safety laws, security and recovery on the Pakistan Motorway network. The NH&MP use SUVs, cars and heavy motorbikes for patrolling purposes and speed cameras for enforcing speed limits.

Emergency Runways

The M-1 and the M-2 motorways both include four emergency runway sections (2 on each motorway with 9,000 feet) for use by the Pakistan Air Force

Pakistan Air Force

The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...

. The four emergency runway sections become operational by removing the removable concrete medians using forklifts. The Pakistan Air Force