Pakistan: Construction Starting Date Announced for New Motorway
The National Highway Authority (NHA) has informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Division that construction work on the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M-6) is scheduled to begin in November 2026.
Briefing the committee, NHA Member Planning and Design Dr. Shafique said the 306-kilometer motorway has been divided into five sections, with an estimated overall cost of Rs. 359 billion.
Section-I, covering 57 kilometers from Hyderabad to Tando Adam, is estimated to cost Rs. 81 billion, while the 63-kilometer Section-II from Tando Adam to Nawabshah is expected to cost Rs. 70 billion. Both sections will be developed under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The 65-kilometer Section-III from Nawabshah to Naushehro Feroz is estimated at Rs. 69 billion. Section-IV, stretching 61 kilometers from Naushehro Feroz to Ranipur, will cost around Rs. 68 billion, while the 60-kilometer Section-V from Ranipur to Sukkur is estimated at Rs. 71 billion.
Financing arrangements for the project have also made significant progress. The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has signed a $475 million loan agreement for Sections-IV and V, while the OPEC Fund Board has approved $230 million for Section-III.
Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to provide transaction advisory services for Sections I and II under the PPP model.
According to the briefing, the revised PC-I of Rs. 364 billion has already been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), while land acquisition for the main motorway corridor has also been completed.
Procurement for the three sections being financed by international financial institutions is currently at different stages.
Bids for Section-III, which is being financed through the OPEC Fund, were received on September 2, 2026, and are under evaluation. Contract acceptance is expected in November.
Bidding documents for Sections IV and V were issued on July 24. Bids for Section-IV were opened on September 3 and are currently being evaluated, while bids for Section-V are expected to be opened in October following a delay linked to the Grievance Redressal Committee process.
For Sections I and II, tendering under the PPP model is scheduled for November 6, 2026. Bids are expected to be received by December 30, with the concession award targeted for February 4, 2027.
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/home.htm
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
