(Guangming Daily/Zhang Renzhong)

A motorway project currently under construction in Pakistan is the largest transportation infrastructure project under the program of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It has already vitalized the local economy and benefited local people.

The Peshawar-Karachi Motorway (Sukkur to Multan section) stretches from Sukkur, a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh, to Multan, a city in Punjab province. It was constructed by the engineers of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) alongside local Pakistanis.

The PKM project has promoted private sector development and small and micro businesses in the local area and regions along the route. A Chinese manager said the building materials such as gravel and cement were bought from local companies, accelerating the industrial chain cycle.

The construction corporation also worked with local companies to exploit natural resources, facilitating related industries such as transportation and sales.

The project has created job opportunities for graduates and specialized workers.

For example, 26-year-old Salman comes from a small town 130 kilometers away from Multan. After graduation, he applied for a job in the project. With excellent English and professional skills, he was hired to lead about 1,000 Pakistani workers.

A lot of Pakistani workers like Salman realized their potential in the construction project. The motorway has created 23,000 positions, including administrative staff and senior technical workers. It has also helped create more than 40,000 jobs through the development of related industries.

The project has trained 4,500 machine operators and 2,300 administrators and technicians for Pakistan so far.

CSCEC has sent a medical team to provide free services for 3,900 local people and has also built nine schools in Pakistan.

The project is expected to be completed by June 2019. By then, the distance from Sukkur to Multan will be shortened from 463 kilometers to 392 kilometers, and the travel time halved from 8 hours to 4 hours.