The Motorway M5 (Multan-Sukkur section) connects Sukkur in Pakistan’s Sindh province and Multan in the Punjab region. The 392km long stretch, following the Left Bank of River Indus, is part of the Peshawar-Karachi motorway, a key project of the planned China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Picture Credit: Qiao Xiaobing
Project Information
Project Name
Motorway M5 (Multan-Sukkur Section)
Type
Transport (Road Infrastructure) 
Location
Sindh & Punjab Province/Pakistan 
BRI Corridor
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
Current Status
Under Construction (4 out of 7 sections to be completed by Mid of 2018)
Project Start
22.12.2015 (Contract Agreement)
Start of Construction Works
August 2016
Planned Completion Date
August 2019
Chinese Involvement
Financing, EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction)
Projected Total Project Costs
USD 2.98 billion
Financing
USD 2.682 billion (concessionary loans from China), USD 298 million (Government of Pakistan)
Operator
Pakistan National Highway Authority (NHA)
Chinese Contractors
In January 2016 the Pakistani government awarded the construction contract to M/s China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC).
Additional Project Information
The 392km long motorway M5 is bi-directional with six-lanes and is designed for a speed of 120km/h. The M5 Motorway shall be a tolled facility with 22 toll plazas. A total of 1,700 Chinese and 22,000 Pakistanis are working on the motorway project.
Project Sustainability
+ Potential improvement of local transport conditions; Cut of travel distance between Multan and Sukkur from 463km to 392km, reducing the traveling time from eight hours to four hours; promotion of local economic development
Further Information
Ground Validation/Review Feasibility Study
Project Pictures
Picture Credit: CPEC China Pakistan Economic Corridor
Picture Credit: Ding Zhaojie