Makran Coastal Highway
Encyclopedia
Makran Coastal Highway is a 653 km-long coastal highway along Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

's Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...

 coastline. It runs primarily through Balochistan province between Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 and Gwadar
Gwadar
Gwadar also known as Godar is a developing port city on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. It is the district headquarters of Gwadar District in Balochistan province and has a population of approximately 50,000.Gwadar is strategically located at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the...

, passing near the port towns of Ormara
Ormara
Ormara is a port city located in the Makran or coastal region of Balochistan Province in Pakistan. It is located 360 km west of Karachi and 230 km east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. This port is also mentioned in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as Oraea.- History :Ormara is an old...

 and Pasni
Pasni
Pasni, the Weaning Ceremony is one in hundreds of celebrations in Nepal in which a child is first fed rice. Although centuries old tradition, modern science has established the fact that child's digestive system is capable of processing solid food when they are approximately 6 months old...

.

The official and technical designation of the Makran Coastal Highway is N10, which is the abbreviation for National Highway 10.

Background

Prior to the construction of the Makran Coastal Highway in 2004, the port city of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...

 was linked to the port town of Gwadar
Gwadar
Gwadar also known as Godar is a developing port city on the southwestern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. It is the district headquarters of Gwadar District in Balochistan province and has a population of approximately 50,000.Gwadar is strategically located at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the...

 via an uncarpeted "jeep" or "dirt" track. The journey between Karachi and Gwadar used to take at least two days and took a heavy toll on the "wear and tear" of vehicles. It was considered preferable to take the safer but longer route via Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...

.

After completion of the Makran Coastal Highway, the average journey time between Karachi and Gwadar has been reduced to only 6 to 7 hours and transportation costs have also been reduced.

The Makran Coastal Highway was conceived and built by the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...

 with the following objectives:
  • To develop infrastructure and boost economic activity in the areas along Pakistan's coastline
  • To improve the transportation and communications infrastructure in Balochistan province
  • To develop the coastal towns of Ormara, Pasni and Gwadar into major port cities
  • To link Ormara, Pasni and Gwadar with the rest of Pakistan's national highways network
  • To develop the seafood industry along Pakistan's coastline by reducing the time and costs involved in transporting fresh seafood from seafood catchment areas to major cities in Pakistan as well as export processing zones in Karachi and Gwadar

Construction

The construction contract for the Makran Coastal Highway was awarded to Pakistan's Frontier Works Organisation
Frontier Works Organisation
Frontier Works Organisation is a construction and military engineering administrative branch of the Pakistani Army that was established in 1966. It is a part of Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers and it has credited to build numerous bridges, roads, tunnels, airfields and dams in Pakistan. FWO...

 (FWO), which built the Karakorum Highway.

Construction work on the Makran Coastal Highway Project commenced in 2002 and was completed by 14 December 2004, in a period of three years.

Management and maintenance

The Makran Coastal Highway is managed and maintained by Pakistan's National Highway Authority.

See also

  • National Highways of Pakistan
  • Motorways of Pakistan
    Motorways of Pakistan
    The Motorways of Pakistan are the nationally coordinated high-speed, limited-access or controlled-access highways in Pakistan, and maintained and operated by the National Highway Authority.-Features:...

  • Transportation in Pakistan

External links

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