PM opens Kuril flyover construction

---

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday said her government has taken massive plans, including revival of commuter train services and construction of six railway flyovers, to free the capital city from traffic congestion, reports UNB.
She spelt out the plan at the ground breaking ceremony of 3.1-kilometre multi-dimensional Kuril flyover at Kuril intersection in the city.
The Prime Minister blamed the previous governments for their unplanned and ad-hoc activities as well as mismanagement for the present appalling condition of Dhaka city.
Home Minister Sahara Khatun, State Minister for Housing and Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan and local lawmaker AKM Rahmat Ullah spoke as special guests at the function, chaired by secretary in-charge of Housing and Public Works Ministry MA Hannan.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) chairman Engr Nurul Huq described the details of the project through power-point presentation.
The Prime Minister said the present government has taken plans for reactivating the commuter train services so that the people from different areas around Dhaka could come easily to the capital city and return to their homes after completing their jobs. She said commuter train services with the capital would operate between Tangail, Mymensingh, Comilla and Brahmanbaria.
Hasina said urban public transportation system needs to be improved to free the city from traffic congestion. After assuming the office her government put utmost importance on reducing of traffic congestion in Dhaka. The government has taken steps to construct approach roads, elevated expressway, subway, commuter railway, ring roads and circular waterways.
The Prime Minister said they have undertaken plans to construct another six railway overpasses and more than one flyover in Dhaka city. "By constructing these quickly, I hope the problem of traffic congestion in Dhaka city will be solved."
She also said to ease the traffic congestion in old Dhaka, the construction of a flyover from Golapshah Mazar to Babubazar would start very soon.
She hoped that RAJUK would take new projects keeping in mind the sufferings of people and complete those in quickest possible time.
Hasina said after the construction of the multi-dimensional flyover, the first in the country, the traffic congestion at Kuril intersection would ease to a great extent.
The Tk 3.06 billion-flyover will connect Purbachal new town with Dhaka city, and a 300-feet wide link-road is being developed as part of the project.
This link-road, which will be constructed from RAJUK's own fund, will meet the Airport road at the Kuril road-rail intersection. As Kuril intersection is already a congested junction, RAJUK plans to build a flyover at this location to facilitate free flow of traffic.
Project Builders Limited (Bangladesh) and Major Bridge Engineering Corporation (China) are the contractors for the flyover project.
The length of the project is 3.1-kilometre with 6.7-9.2 metre width. There will be four loops, while the height of the flyover will be 14.5 metre. There will be single level unidirectional traffic movement and there will be 20 traffic directions. The project will be completed by April 2012.