A move has been made to frame transport plans for Narayanganj and Gazipur cities too to cope with traffic growth, coupled with increased economic activity.
Earlier, similar strategies were taken in a 20-year transport plan for Dhaka metropolitan city.
Sources said the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has got the go-ahead from the Planning Commission to prepare documents.
It has also been asked to appoint local and foreign consultants to design such plans for Gazipur and Narayanganj cities.
The DTCA had formulated the 20-year strategic transport plan (STP) for Dhaka city which was revised in 2015 to expand the area of planning with more options.
But sources said both the STPs are still to find transport options for the cities around Dhaka as well as to integrate multimodal transport in the planning.
Although traffic volume in almost all city corporations has increased significantly because of rapid urbanisation, most of these cities lack planned roads and proper transport.
Major industries, including exportable and food-processing units, have been set up near Gazipur and Narayanganj making the areas major destinations for trade as well as habitation.
Officials said the DTCA felt the need for transport plans for the two cities as two lines of bus rapid transit (BRT) from Dhaka and Narayanganj city would touch Gazipur.
They said BRT north depot has already been developed in Gazipur and a recent feasibility study also proposed for more than 90-kilometre highway to directly link Gazipur with Narayanganj.
"There are many transport-related proposals like LRT (light rapid transit) and middle ring road which would also touch the two cities," said an official involved in the planning.
"But all these need careful study before execution."
National and international consultants would be engaged in formulating the transport plans at an estimated Tk 400 million.
Gazipur town has an area of 49.32 kilometres with 123,531 people living in nine wards.
Habitation in Gazipur town is increasing, thanks to the rapid growth of multiple small and big industries.
On the other hand, Narayanganj is the sixth largest city located on the west bank of the Sitalakkhya, making it a shipping and industrial hub through a port.
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