Bangabandhu tunnel work nearing end

CHATTOGRAM, Feb 10: The construction work on the much-awaited Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, the first under-river tunnel in the country, is nearing completion as progress in work has reached 96 per cent.

Project Director Harunur Rashid expressed the hope that the construction work on the tunnel would be completed before the schedule.

He said construction of the cross-passage and tunnel leading to the toll plaza are also nearing completion.

"Mechanical, electrical and civil work of the tunnel is going on and other related work is also at final stage," Rashid said. Construction of the tunnel would end within the stipulated time, he added.

Two tubes with width of 35 feet wide and height of 16 feet have been constructed within an 11-metre gap so that heavy vehicles can pass through the tunnel easily.

The length of the under-construction tunnel will be 3.40 kilometres with an approach road of 5.35 kilometres alongside a 727-metre bridge linking the main city, port and western side of the river with its eastern side.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work of the first tunnel tube on February 24, 2019. Earlier Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly laid the foundation stone on October 14, 2016.

China Communications Construction Company Ltd is working as the contractor for the project.

Rashid further said after completion of the total work, other issues including driving through the tunnel would be tested to get it ready for traffic.

The total cost of the tunnel is estimated at Tk 84.47 billion ($1.06 billion). China is providing $705.9 million. The rest is provided by the government of Bangladesh.