Traffic congestion in Karachi is expected to ease in the coming years as the 57-kilometre Northern Bypass is set to be expanded into a six-lane, 134-kilometre M-10 Motorway, directly connecting the port city to the M-6 Motorway at Jamshoro.
According to officials from the Ministry of Communications, the new motorway will cut through the Kirthar Mountain Range and serve as a direct link between Karachi and the national motorway network, The News reported. The project aims to divert heavy goods transport away from Karachi’s main roads, reducing urban traffic pressure.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in a meeting with Federal Communications Minister Aleem Khan, termed the M-6 Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway and the Karachi Northern Bypass–Jamshoro Motorway (M-10) as projects of national importance. “M-6 would unlock opportunities for the youth of interior Sindh through enhanced connectivity, while M-10 would resolve Karachi’s traffic bottlenecks once and for all,” he said.
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The meeting at CM House was attended by provincial ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Planning & Development Board Chairman Najam Shah, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Federal Communications Secretary Ali Sher, and NHA Chairman Sahibzada Shahryar Sultan.
Officials briefed that the M-6 project, approved under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) at an estimated cost of Rs363 billion, will be developed in five phases. The Islamic Development Bank has committed to funding two sections, while a Chinese firm has shown interest in executing all phases. Completion of M-6 will finalize Pakistan’s north–south motorway backbone, linking Peshawar to Karachi and boosting trade, logistics, and regional growth.
The M-10 project has evolved into a two-segment mega initiative. Plans include upgrading the 34 km Karachi Northern Bypass from the ICI Bridge to Hamdard University Chowk into an eight-lane motorway and constructing a new 134 km six-lane motorway through the Kirthar Range to connect Hamdard University Chowk with the M-6 at Jamshoro. Additionally, a 23 km stretch between Hamdard University Chowk and the M-9 will be upgraded to six lanes, transforming the entire route from Karachi Port to M-6 into a high-capacity motorway.
The project is currently undergoing a feasibility study by NESPAK. Federal Minister Aleem Khan said its main objective is to decongest Karachi by creating a direct high-speed link between the port and the national motorway network, bypassing city traffic.
The chief minister welcomed federal government support and urged for early commencement of M-6 work. Aleem Khan assured that the communications ministry and the National Highway Authority (NHA) were committed to completing both projects in a transparent and timely manner.
