The Sindh government has inaugurated the 9.1-kilometer partial stretch of the Malir Expressway, which is part of a larger 39-kilometer project expected to be completed by 2025.
The project was officially inaugurated by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who attended the ceremony with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and other senior PPP officials, Express News reported.
This new expressway, which runs from Qayyumabad to Shah Faisal, has been named Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Expressway after the late PPP leader.
The expressway, once fully operational, is expected to ease traffic congestion on Karachi’s roads, providing a direct connection to key industrial zones and the city’s existing road network.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah described the Malir Expressway as the largest public-private partnership infrastructure project in the province and the country.
He explained that the total cost of the project is approximately Rs 55 billion, with the Sindh government contributing around Rs 32 billion. Commercial banks, development financial institutions and public-private partnerships have jointly financed the remaining Rs 23,000 crore.
The 39 km stretch of the Malir Expressway will start from Korangi Creek Avenue and will extend up to the Malir River.
Once completed, it will serve as an alternative route to Shahrah-e-Faisal and link with the Karachi-Hyderabad Expressway (M-9) near Kathore. This road will significantly reduce the traffic load on the congested urban roads of Karachi.
Murad Ali Shah further emphasized that once the expressway is fully operational by 2025, it will provide faster and more efficient access to industrial zones, thereby boosting economic activity in the region.
