Islamabad, Pakistan – Web Desk: A major step towards revolutionizing safe, modern, and convenient travel in Pakistan has been taken with the advancement of the M-13 Motorway project, supported by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) .
The M-13 Kharian–Rawalpindi Motorway is being upgraded into a 117.2-kilometer, six-lane high-speed corridor, serving as a strategic and safer alternative to the existing M-2 Motorway . The project is expected to reduce travel distance between Lahore and the twin cities by nearly 100 kilometers, cutting travel time by approximately one hour .
Transforming Regional Connectivity
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif highlighted that SIFC also played a key role in reviving the previously stalled M-12 Sialkot–Kharian Motorway project . Additionally, the M-11 Lahore–Sialkot Motorway is being expanded from four lanes to six .
Once the integrated M-11, M-12, and M-13 corridor is completed, officials project that 50 to 60 percent of traffic currently using the M-2 between Lahore and Rawalpindi will shift to the new route . This corridor will strengthen transport and trade links between Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Sialkot, Afghanistan, China, and Central Asia .
Enhanced Safety Features
A key safety feature of the project is the construction of three tunnels at Kallar Kahar, a section notorious for frequent road accidents . These tunnels are expected to significantly reduce traffic fatalities and ensure smoother travel for motorists .
