Pakistan Road Network

For information on road contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Pakistan Government Contact List

(Sources: Pakistan Transport Plan Study, 2006; Pak Econ Survey, 2010; National Transport Research Center– Deputy Chief of NTRC)

Road is the dominant mode of inland traffic in Pakistan and carries 91% of passenger traffic and 96% of freight traffic (Source: NHA) . Current road density in Pakistan is 0.32km/km-sq. Pakistan’s road network is vital for the movement of people and goods and plays an important role in integrating the country, facilitating economic growth and reducing poverty. Pakistan has a road network covering 259,618 kilometres including 179,290 KM of high type roads and 80,328 KM of low type roads. Total roads, which were 229,595 KM in 1996‐97, increased to 259,618 KM by 2009‐10 (Jul‐Mar) an increase of 13 percent. A sizable and continuous improvement of the high type road network was observed from 1996‐97 to 2009‐10 (Jul‐Mar). (Pak Econ Survey,2010)

The distance between Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan in the north-east of the country, and Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh having two important international ports, is about 1, 200 km (PTPS, 2006). This forms the main transport corridor of Pakistan, with the bulk of freight transport passing through it.About 60% of the road network in Pakistan consists of paved roads.

National Highways:

The National Highways of Pakistan consists of all public highways maintained by National Highways Authority under the Ministry of Transport. It maintains over 12,000 kilometres (7,500 mi) of roadways organised into various classifications which crisscross the country and provide access to major population centres. These are not to be confused with provincial highways, which are provincial roads maintained by the respective provinces. Pakistan's national highways include the famous Grand Trunk Road, Indus Highway, Karakoram Highway and Makran Coastal Highway.

All national highways in Pakistan are pre-fixed with the letter 'N' (for "National") followed by the unique numerical designation of the specific highway (with a hyphen in the middle), e.g. "N-5". Each numerical designation is separated by five numerals, i.e. N-5, N-10, N-15, etc.

National Highways are distinct from 'Strategic Highways', which begin with the prefix 'S' and are owned, controlled and operated by the Ministry of Defense.

National Highways
Sign	Course	Length	Existing	Status	Lanes	Completion
	Karachi – Torkham	1819 km	1819 km	via Hyderabad, Multan, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar	6	1952
	Karachi – Gwadar (Makran Coastal Highway)	653 km	653 km	via Omara, Pasni	2	2003
	Mansehra – Chilas	240 km	240 km	via Naran	2
	Karachi – Chaman (RCD Highway)	813 km	813 km	via Bela, Khuzdar, Kalat, Quetta	2
	Basima – Khuzdar	110 km	110 km		2
	Hasan Abdal – Khunjerab Pass	806 km	806 km	via Abbottabad, Thakot, Gilgit becoming China National Highway 314	4
	Quetta – Taftan	610 km	610 km	via Naukundi becoming Road 84 in Iran	2
	Nowshera – Chitral	309 km	309 km	via Dir	2
	Kuchlack – Dera Ismail Khan	531 km	531 km	via Zhob	2
	Karachi – Peshawar	1264 km	1264 km	via Kotri, Shikarpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kohat	4 (6)
	Quetta – Sukkar	385 km	385 km	via Sibi	2
	QilaSaifullah – Multan	447 km	447 km	via Loralai, Dera Ghazi Khan	2
	Islamabad – Kohala	90 km	90 km	via Murree	4
	Islamabad – Kohat	146 km	146 km		2
	Hushab – Surab	487 km	487 km		2
	Khwazakhela – Besham	64 km	64 km	via Alpuri	2
	Chakdara – Kalam	135 km	135 km	via Mingora, Madyan, Bahrain	2
N-105 National Highway	Larkana – Naudero – Lakhi	61 km	61 km		2
N-110 National Highway	Gharo – KetiBunder	90 km	90 km		2
N-120 National Highway	Hyderabad – Khorkhrapar	220 km	220 km	via Mirpur Khas, Umerkot	2
N-125 National Highway	Taxila – Haripur	44 km	44 km	via Khanpur	2
N-155 National Highway	Larkana - MoenjoDaro	28 km	28 km		2
N-255 National Highway	Larkana - Nasirabad	34 km	34 km		2
N-305 National Highway	Sakrand - Nawabshah	35 km	35 km		2
N-455 National Highway	Larkana - Shahdadkot	50 km	50 km		2
	Ratodero - Naudero	18 km	18 km		2
	Total	12131 km	12131 km

Distance Matrix

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits

Weighbridges

NHA has 54 weigh stations to enforce axle load limits. Currently the fine for overloading is about Rs. 100 per ton, but there are many problems with enforcing these fines due to the weigh stations being located in remote areas in many cases.

Operators and drivers often negotiate these fines in case of large amounts of overloading. Another issue is that there is often limited space for unloading at the weigh station, as well as limited parking space for overloaded trucks.

Follow below link for a listing of weighbridges in the country:

http://www.phonebook.com.pk/dynamic/search.aspx?SearchType=kl&k=Weighbridge&l=Pakistan

Axle Load Limits

The National Highways Safety Ordinance 2000 stipulates maximum axle loads and tyre pressures:

• Front axle – 5 tonnes
• Single axle – 12 tonnes
• Tandem axle – 22 tonnes
• Tridem axle – 33 tonnes
• Tyre pressure rear axle 120 psi
• Tyre pressure – front axle 100 psi

Some concessions were allowed on National Highways through agreement with the NHA, but none on the motorway.

Road Class and Surface Conditions

ROAD LENGTH AND DENSITY TABLE (Source: NTRC, 2006)

ADMINISTRATIVE CLASSIFICATION OF ROADS – (Source: NTRC, 2006)

There are 14 National Highways (8,600 km), 5 Motorways (767 km), and two Strategic Roads (270km) in Pakistan as listed in the tableabove.

N5 is the longest and most important National Highway. N-55 is the second longest National Highway. N-25 is an important international and national highway connecting Karachi with Quetta and Chaman on the Afghanistan border.

There are many topographical obstacles on the National Highways. For example, the Kohat tunnel has only 2 lanes despite the importance of N-55. N-70 has a very dangerous mountainous section between D.G.Khan and Fort Munro, where on a winding section, rocks stick out over the road, and slopes are very steep.

The Khushalgarh Bridge over the River Indus on N-80 is old and narrow. This bridge crosses its access roads at right angles, disallowing container trucks to pass over it. The Lowari Rail Tunnel Project is underway to overcome such topographical obstacles on N-45. The Malakand Tunnel (N-45) and the Lakpass Tunnel ( N-25) are also planned to improve road transport. Many new bridges over the River Indus and other big rivers are proposed.

The major function of National Highways is to carry inter-provincial traffic or long distance traffic along national corridors, connecting the major cities. Accordingly, National Highways have many congested cities as bottlenecks along their routes. Many bypasses have been constructed in major cities for National Highways to avoid congestion. However, soon after opening a bypass for a city, the city begins to grow along the bypass, and the growth continues until the bypass soon ceases to function properly. This is where more controlled access to national highways could alleviate the situation.

NHA plans to develop a network of full access controlled Motorways as a new economic corridor to provide fast transportation of goods and passengers. The total length of the planned Motorway network is 2,734 km.

Issues: Overloading by trucks is a typical phenomenon in the transport sector in Pakistan. It is common for 2-axle trucks, having a high vertical limit on the rear, carry heavy loads to the extent of the dimensional limit instead of the tonnage limit. Overloading causes severe road maintenance issues due to the weight over the capacity of the pavement, as well as unwanted road accidents.

International corridors

For information on Pakistan international corridors, please see the following document:

Pakistan International Corridors Leading to the Country