Classification of Roads in Pakistan

A road classification system designates streets into different groups or classes according to the
type of service each group is intended to provide. This is a fundamental tool for urban
development and road management. Grouping roads with similar functions can improve
transportation planning, road infrastructure design, maintenance traffic and road operations
There are many roads in the world. But Pakistan is a little bit different from other countries.
That’s why it has different kinds of road. The main types are given below.
1. National Highway
2. State Highway
3. District Roads
4. Village Roads
5. Urban Roads
6. Arterial Roads
7. Motorway
8. Super highway
9. By Pass Roads
10. Service Roads
11. Country Roads
1.1) National Highway:
National Highways of Pakistan are a network of toll highways in Pakistan, which are owned,
maintained and operated by the National Highways Authority under the Ministry of
Communications. It maintains 12,131 kilometers (7,538 mi) of roadways organized into
various classifications which crisscross the country and provide access to major population
centers. National Highways are not to be confused with provincial highways, which are 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)"N-5". Each
numerical designation is separated by five numerals, i.e. N-5, N-10, N-15, etc.
Figure 01: National Highways of Pakistan
1.2) District Roads:
Roads are classified by the State PWD. The roads other than National Highways and State
Highways are the District Roads. District roads are limited to a particular District only. Among
them are roads that connect two or more Tahsils to District HQ, these are Major District Roads.
The rest are ‘Other District Roads ‘. Village Roads are a different category.
1.3) Village Roads:
Village/Rural Roads. These roads serve as the feeder roads of the other Highways as well as
the roads for inter-village movements. They pass through rural area connecting the villages to
one another and to the nearest District Roads, State Highways, National Highways, Railways,
etc.
1.4) Urban Roads:
An Urban Road is a road located within the boundaries of a built-up area. Urban roads are
typically characterized by the presence of street lighting and in most but not all cases the
presence of kerb and channel adjacent to the road edge.

Figure 02: Urban Road

CrossSection of Urban Road

1.5) Arterial Roads:
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of
an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways or expressways, and
between urban centers at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries
are limited-access roads, or feature restrictions on private access. Because of their relatively
high accessibility, many major roads have facing land uses and urban development, making
them significant urban places.
1.6) Motorway:
Motorways of Pakistan are a network of multiple-lane, high-speed, controlled-access
highways in Pakistan, which are owned, maintained and operated federally by
Pakistan's National Highway Authority. 1820 km of motorways are currently operational as of
12 September 2019, while 2446 km are currently under construction. All motorways in
Pakistan are pre-fixed with the letter 'M' (for "motorway") followed by the unique numerical
designation of the specific highway (with a hyphen in the middle).

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org
1.7) Bypass roads:
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let
through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-
up area, and to improve road safety. A bypass specifically designated for trucks may be called
a truck route.

Figure 03: Bypass road