Dhaka, Feb 18 – The government has finally decided to build a complete elevated expressway over the existing Dhaka-Chittagong Highway shelving its previous plan to construct an at-grade six-lane expressway.
The decision was finalised as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the authorities concerned to go for the elevated expressway option considering its facilities, future benefits and judicious use of land, according to sources at Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA).They said the elevated expressway will facilitate an easier and smoother road communication on the country’s most commercially important highway.
Contacted, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader told UNB on Thursday that the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) earlier took a plan for constructing a 218-km at-grade six-lane expressway in addition to the existing Dhaka-Chittagong national highway to ease traffic congestion.
Later, he said, the BBA, another department of the same ministry, took a move to build a 220-km elevated expressway having multimodal transport corridor.
“We’ve finally decided to implement the BBA’s project considering its effectiveness and long-term benefits. We’ve also given it a positive signal to go ahead with their plan,” the minister said.
Bridges Division Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam said they have almost completed all the necessary preparations to carry out a feasibility study on the elevated expressway project.
BBA Chief Engineer Kabir Ahmed said the at-grade expressway will not be an effective project to reduce traffic snarls on the route as it will pass through many bazaars and establishments while there will have no such problems in the case of elevated expressway.
“Though the existing highway has been upgraded to a 4-lane one, it still takes 6-7 hours to go to Chittagong or vice versa by a bus. So, after constructing another expressway through land, it won’t help that much cut the travel time as vehicles won’t be able to move with over 100km speed an hour uninterruptedly on it for various factors,” the chief engineer said.
He said if the elevated expressway is built with rail tracks, one will be able to travel from one important city to another within an hour by a highspeed train while it will take two hours by buses.
Besides, the chief engineer said, as per their plan there will be the option for operating both buses and trains on the elevated expressway. “It’ll not only ease traffic jams and ensure smooth road communication, but also save huge agricultural land, bazaars, mosques, educational institutions and establishments from destruction.”
Moreover, he said, huge goods can be transported through freight trains from 10pm to 5am through the elevated expressway as there will be no passengers’ flow at that time.
According to an ABD study conducted in 2013, 90 percent of Bangladesh’s goods for export and import are transported through the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
Although initially the government has a plan to build an at-grade expressway, BBA executive engineer Wahiduzzamn said the Prime Minister later directed the authorities concerned to build the elevated expressway over the four-lane highway after reviewing elevated-expressway project summery.
According to the sources at the BBA, a summary of elevated expressway was sent to the PM for her consideration at the end of 2016.
“After assessing the summary, the Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to construct an entirely elevated expressway cancelling at-grade one,” said a BBA official.”
He said Hasina also asked the ministry concerned to work out the mega projects keeping in mind what is good for the people and what will be the scenario after 20-25 years later. – UNB by Masudul Hoque & Abdur Rahman Jahangir, Staff Writers
