Western Alignment

Western Alignment of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor
The Western Alignment of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is depicted by the red line.
Route information
Length:	1,153 km (716 mi)
Major junctions
North end:	Brahma Bahtar Interchange near Hasan Abdal, Punjab province
South end:	Gwadar Port
Highway system
Roads in Pakistan

The Western Alignment refers to the portions of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which are located in the Pakistani provinces of northwestern Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The CPEC project envisages an expanded and upgraded road network in the aforementioned provinces, and will result in the upgrading or construction of 1,153 kilometres (716 mi) worth of road into two- and four-lane divided highways by mid-2018 along the Western Alignment, with land acquisition sufficient for upgrading parts of the road to a six-lane motorway in the future.

The Western Alignment roadway network will begin at the Brahma Bahtar Interchange on the M1 Motorway near the towns of Burhan and Hasan Abdal in northern Punjab province. The newly reconstructed Karakoram Highway will connect to the Western Alignment at Burhan, near where the new 285-mile-long (285 mi) controlled-access Brahma Bahtar-Yarik Motorway will commence. The motorway will terminate near the town of Yarik, just north of Dera Ismail Khan. The route will traverse the Sindh Sagar Doab region, and cross the Indus River at Mianwali before entering into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It will consist of 11 interchanges, 74 culverts, and three major bridges spanning the Indus, Soan, and Kurram rivers. It will have reserved rights-of-way flanking either side of the motorway to allow for widening of the road to a six-lane motorway in the future. Total costs for the project are expected to be $1.05 billion. Pakistan's Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved construction of this section of roadway in April 2016, while groundbreaking took place in May 2016. Construction is expected to be completed within 36 months.