The federal government has awarded the Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway (M-13) project to the Frontier Works Organization (FWO).
The proposed 117-kilometre, six-lane motorway will connect Kharian with T-Chowk near Rawat/Rawalpindi and is expected to significantly improve connectivity between northern Punjab and the twin cities.
The motorway will link with the M-11 Lahore-Sialkot Motorway through Kharian, reducing the Lahore-Rawalpindi travel distance by approximately 100 kilometres.
The project cost has increased to around Rs205 billion from the earlier Rs96 billion estimate approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in January 2022. The increase followed the decision to upgrade the motorway from four lanes to six lanes on the directives of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
The motorway is being developed on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. The project also includes a financing viability gap of more than Rs40 billion, which will be covered by the federal government.
Officials said the new corridor will help reduce congestion on the existing Lahore-Islamabad Motorway (M-2) by providing an alternative high-speed route for commuters and freight traffic.
The motorway will feature several interchanges to improve regional access, including:
- Sarai Alamgir
- Jhelum
- Dina
- Sohawa
- Gujar Khan
- Mandra
- Banth Moor
- Chak Bali
- T-Chowk (Rawat)
