Elevated expressway to connect port is a sensible option

That the stalemate still continues over execution of the Dhaka-Chittagong elevated expressway to facilitate speedy and hazard-free movement of goods and services to and from the country's lone major port is a cause for grave concern. Developing roads by acquiring lands is an outdated and complicated method. The land-based expressway will not be feasible for the country for many reasons, including land shortage and overpopulation. As Bangladesh is now fast moving ahead to be a middle-income country, it should improve the transport sector and infrastructure for easy and faster transportation of goods and passengers. Elevated expressway can be a vital option in this regard.

With every passing day, the need for smooth traffic on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway is being felt more acutely because of regular tailback costing the economy heavily. There is also no alternative to Chittagong Port for export and import cargo handling. The so-called expansion of the highway has failed to deliver the goods. Chittagong-bound cargo-carrying transports often jostle with passenger buses and trucks causing traffic jams on the highway. An elevated expressway between the capital city and the port city can address this problem.

The highway too has not yet been completed with Dhaka-Daudkandi part remaining the same as it had been --narrow and dilapidated. In fact, the highway only begins from Daudkandi. Even the toll counters now-a-days stand as barriers to speedy traffic. As the government has accorded the highest priority to setting up of industries and economic zones, construction of the elevated expressway brooks no more delay. In fact, it is a better option than the land-based one given the country's shrinking lands. Besides, according to an estimate, Tk 136.40 billion will have to be spent only on land acquisition and relocation of other establishments let alone removal of a large number of houses, mega structures, schools and mosques to construct the expressway. Under these circumstances, the authorities quite rightly took the initiative for building the 220-km expressway with a multimodal transport corridor. The Prime Minister also approved the project summary after it had been sent to her at the end of 2016.

Happily, an investor has already given Bangladesh a proposal to implement the project. The investing company is willing to collect toll for 30 years on completion of the project and then hand it over to Bangladesh. Dhaka is bargaining to fix it at 25 years instead of 30. The project will not only ease traffic and make travelling faster, but also save huge agricultural lands, markets, mosques, educational institutions and establishments from acquisition for construction of a new expressway on land for the same route. Besides, a huge amount of goods could be transported by freight trains from 10:00pm to 5:00am on the elevated expressway as pressure of passengers would be the lowest during this period.

Top experts also think Bangladesh should go for the option of elevated expressway instead of land-based one. Controlling or ensuring vehicular movement on an at-grade expressway is quite impossible as it usually passes through many markets and establishments. There will be no such problem in case of an elevated expressway.