NA body told: Karachi Northern Bypass being upgraded to 8-lane motorway

ISLAMABAD: The Karachi Northern Bypass will be upgraded to an 8-lane motorway (34km) from ICI Bridge to Hamdard University Chowk Madinat al-Hikmah.

This was stated by National Highways Authority (NHA) Chairman Muhammad Shehryar Sultan in Standing Committee on Communications held under the chairmanship of Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani.

He said the new M-10 project is currently on feasibility study by NESPAK to address the growing traffic flow from Karachi Port to various dry ports.

He said a new 134km long m-10 Motorway will be constructed through the Khirthar mountain range, connecting to the M-6 Motorway at Jamshoro.

This motorway will have 6 lanes. The remaining 23km of the Northern Bypass (from Hamdard University Chowk to M-9) will also be upgraded to a 6-lane road. This project is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion and ensure smoother, faster connectivity between Karachi and Interior Sindh.

The committee expressed displeasure over the absence of the secretary of the Ministry of Communications and warned that future instances of non-attendance would be brought before the House and the Privilege Committee for the appropriate action.

Concerns were also raised about the NHA third toll rate increase within a short period, which appears to contravene its policy of revising toll rates every three years. The committee deemed this repeated increase against the public interest and directed the NHA to submit a detailed justification at the next meeting.

The Inspector General of the Motorway Police briefed the committee on the legal framework under which FIRs are registered for motorists exceeding the speed limit of 150 km/h on motorways, as per Section 279 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) relating to fast and negligent driving.

It was noted that since the enforcement of this law, motorway casualties have significantly decreased over the past five months. The committee decided to re-examine these provisions and in consultation with all political parties, consider amendments aimed at replacing corporal punishment, FIRs, and imprisonment with stricter financial penalties and possible license suspensions.

A calling attention notice moved by the MNA regarding the presence of two toll plazas within a 5-kilometre stretch on the M-9 Motorway, which contradicts the existing policy that mandates a minimum distance of 35 kilometres between toll plazas. The NHA responded that a major bridge is located at that point, and under current policy, toll plazas are permitted at each major bridge regardless of the distance. The committee directed the NHA to submit a comprehensive list of all bridges that have toll plazas installed.

MNA Waseem Hussain also asked the NHA to extend the same toll exemption to residents of Hyderabad District for daily vehicle use as is currently provided to residents of Jamshoro. Additionally, concerns were raised over the poor condition of the bridge in question, despite the collection of tolls and revenue. The committee instructed the NHA to conduct an inquiry into the state of the bridge and present a detailed report, including photographs and videos, at the next meeting. The NHA was also asked to propose a viable solution during the upcoming session.

Regarding the M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad project, it was reported that work is scheduled to begin in April 2026, financed by the Islamic Development Bank. The NHA informed the committee that it has requested advance procurement approval from the Bank, with land acquisition expected to commence within a month. Consequently, the NHA will formally write to the Sindh government to initiate land acquisition procedures.

The committee was also informed that Karachi Northern Bypass will be part of the M-10 project, which will resolve the congestion of Karachi city once for all.

Further, the committee decided to write to the Senate Standing Committee on Communications, requesting the findings of its sub-committee regarding how the contractor previously disqualified and terminated by the NHA was able to secure a major contract valued at Rs166 billion under the CAREC Tranche-III project.

The NHA was also directed to provide an update on the matter at the next meeting.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Communications and representatives from affiliated departments were present as well.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025