Dhaka Elevated Expressway is Bangladesh's first project of its kind. It is one of the biggest infrastructure projects taken up by the incumbent government to ease traffic congestion in the capital and around. It will be 46-km long including the connecting roads and will cost around Tk. 122 billion.
The Italian-Thai Development Corporation Limited has entered a $1.062 billion contract with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) for building the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated construction of the 21 km expressway on April 30, 2011 with a hope that it will be completed in three and a half years.
Traffic jam has become a part of our life and a matter of concern for everybody. Vehicular traffic is stranded at every traffic signal for unusually long periods and it takes hours to reach a place which is not worth more than a few minutes. The government has opted for building an elevated expressway to reduce the traffic congestion in Dhaka city. This seems to be a positive move from the government. Let us have a look at some information about the first-ever elevated expressway in Bangladesh.
The proposed elevated expressway will be 26 kilometers in length. The route will be like this -- Shahjalal International Airport> Kuril>Banani>Mohakhali>Tejgaon>Satrasta>Mogbazar>Kamalapur> Golapbagh>Jatrabari.
The main road will be 21 kilometers in length. There will be two more roads of five kilometers along with the main road. One is from Manik Mia Avenue to Tejgaon Rail Crossing and the other will be from Nilkhet to Moghbazar. Later on the Elevated Expressway will be extended up to Narayanganj in South and Gazipur in North.
Bangladesh government entered into a contract with Italian-Thai group of Thailand on January 19, 2011. The contract is valid for 25 years, where three years will be considered as construction time and the company will receive toll for the rest period. The construction cost is estimated at Tk.87.03 billion (approximately $1244 million). Bangladesh government will provide Tk.18 billion (approximately $258 million).
Vehicles using the Elevated Expressway will be charged. The estimated charges are as below:
Private Car, Micro Bus Sport, Utility Vehicle: Tk.125
Bus: Tk.250
Truck: Tk.500-750
The construction work of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway is scheduled to start in late September this year and end by 2018.
Forty acres of land has been provided for rehabilitation of those who are adversely affected by the project and about Tk.1350 million has been handed over to the deputy commissioner, Dhaka, for distribution among the affected people. As of now, about Tk.200 million has already been distributed.
People hopes the project will not be tainted by corruption and it will be completed in time.
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Elevated expressway to reduce traffic jam in Dhaka city
Nargis Sultana | Published: June 29, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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