A fresh Tk 4.63-billion project is conceived to construct 21.1 kilometres of connecting roads to ramp up traffic flow through the Karnaphuli Tunnel that operates below its expected capacity for lower-than-anticipated vehicle movement.
Planning Division has placed the project on the agenda of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, for final approval, an official confirms.
Once given the go-ahead, Roads and Highways Department (RHD) will build a 10.30-metre-wide road linking the Anwara end of the tunnel with Gachhbari in Chandanaish on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway, with implementation planned over the next three years.
According to the proposal, the project aims to establish improved and safer road connectivity between the Karnaphuli Tunnel and the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar national highway, "facilitating smoother vehicle movement through the tunnel and easier travel between Dhaka and Cox's Bazar".
The new route will allow vehicles heading towards Cox's Bazar to bypass the existing Shikalbaha Crossing (Patiya)-BGC Trust-Gachhbari road, cutting travel distance by around 17 kilometres and saving nearly 30 minutes of travel time.
Officials expect the project to increase tunnel usage, ease traffic pressure on the Shah Amanat Bridge, and help reduce congestion in the port city.
The road will also improve connectivity between the Karnaphuli Tunnel and Anwara and Chandanaish upazilas, providing faster access to major industrial hubs, including CUFL, KAFCO, the Korean EPZ, and the Chinese Special Economic Zone, as well as Parki Sea Beach and the Marine Academy.
Additionally, freight and passenger vehicles from the Matarbari deep-sea port will be able to use the route to cross the Karnaphuli Tunnel and connect Chattogram with Dhaka and other parts of the country.
Constructed at a cost of around Tk 106.89 billion with Chinese financing and inaugurated in October 2023, the tunnel has been operating far below projected capacity.
Authorities had expected around 28,305 vehicles to pass through daily by 2025, but the current average stands at just 3,870 vehicles. Light vehicles account for 76 per cent of traffic, buses 10 per cent, trucks 12 per cent and larger trailers less than 1.0 per cent.
Daily revenue from the tunnel averages Tk 1.074 million, while operation and maintenance costs total Tk 3.746 million, leaving a daily deficit of around Tk 2.75 million.
To make up for this shortfall, RTHD has proposed the tunnel-connector along with several other road upgrades, including widening the Anwara-Banshkhali-Toitong-Pekua-Badrakhali-Chakaria (Eidmani) regional highway involving a cost of Tk 12.89 billion.
Furthermore, Bridges Division has requested the construction of a 172-kilometre "Marine Drive" from Mirsarai Industrial City in Chattogram through Anwara-Banshkhali to Pekua, Matarbari, and Cox's Bazar to fully utilise the tunnel.
The project is estimated to cost between Tk 300 billion and Tk 350 billion, though funding has yet to be secured.
"The significant gap between the projected and actual traffic through the Karnaphuli Tunnel highlights a major planning deficiency," says Dr Md. Hadiuzzaman, Professor of Civil Engineering Department at Buet.
Forecasts appear to have overestimated demand without fully accounting for existing traffic patterns, vehicle mix, and alternative routes.
Proper feasibility studies should have incorporated realistic usage projections, socioeconomic factors, and connectivity constraints, the engineering professor says.
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