ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to inaugurate the construction of Sukkur-Multan Motorway on Friday (today).

The six-lane, 393km motorway is part of the eastern route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and will complete in three years at a cost of Rs294 billion, National Highway Authority (NHA) spokesman Kashif Zaman said.

The motorway will begin at Multan and terminate at Sukkur after passing through Jalalpur Pirwala, Ahmedpur East, Ubauro and Pano Aqil, he said, adding that 54 bridges would be built on the motorway, including a big one over river Sutlej.

The project includes 12 service areas, 10 rest areas, 11 interchanges, 10 flyovers and 426 underpasses and it will provide high speed transport service between Sindh and Punjab.

The contract has been awarded to M/s China State Construction Engineering Corporation with the funding set to come from the Chinese government.

The Sukkur-Multan route is part of the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway project and work on the Multan-Lahore section will begin on May 17.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2016