The construction of Dhaka's second high-speed elevated expressway -- the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway -- is progressing slightly behind the target, with 9.5 per cent of work completed nearly a year after the construction began.
Project officials pointed the finger at a number of factors, including delays in land acquisition, shifting various utility lines and removing several structures in the project area.
Moreover, the officials said they have yet to receive the construction yard from the Dhaka Elevated Expressway in the Dhaka airport area.
The 24-kilometre Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway will connect the city's Kawla area to the outskirts of Ashulia industrial area. The Tk 175.53 billion project formally began on October 28 last year, almost eight years after it was initiated, as the primary deadline is 2027.
The Financial Express visited the construction sites of the expressway corridor on Wednesday and found work on pier caps going on on both sides at Abdullahpur crossing amid very heavy traffic.
Besides, several piers were found erected between the Ashulia bridge and Abdullahpur crossing.
However, the Chinese contractors faced a challenge when they couldn't proceed from the middle of the Ashulia bridge after building piers from both sides due to the high voltage power line of the national grid.
The towers of the electric cable located in the Turag river need to be raised by 13 metres above the present level to accommodate the height of two separate 2.7 km bridges on both sides of the expressway, contractors and project officials said.
Under the project, the contractors are responsible for building two bridges on both sides of the expressway and demolishing the underground embankment road from Dheor crossing to Ashulia 2nd bridge to ensure smooth navigation for water vessels.
Besides, the firms also couldn't start the work at Kawla point near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as the point is under the control of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project -- the city's first elevated expressway -- as its construction yard.
As the Dhaka Elevated Expressway is yet to complete its entire work, the Dhaka-Ashulia expressway project suffers and is anticipated to experience hiccups until the unfinished tasks of the first overhead corridor are completed.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority took over the Dhaka-Ashulia expressway project after signing a memorandum of understanding with China National Machinery Import and Export Company (CMC) on January 22, 2015.
The DPP was approved in November 2017. However, the project faced delays due to the prolonged time taken to sign a loan contract with the Chinese Exim Bank, which wasn't finalised until October 26, 2021.
After the loan was effective in May 2022, the project officially commenced on October 28 of the same year.
Shahbuddin Khan, director of the Dhaka-Ashulia expressway project, told the FE that the three Chinese subcontracts formally started the construction work in January this year, achieving a 9.5 per cent progress so far.
He, however, said the Bridge Authority has been taking due steps to overcome the challenges in land acquisition, and utility shifting by holding continuous meetings with all related public agencies.
Gu Feng, senior manager of the Operation and Construction Department of China National Machinery Import and Export Company, said they managed to maintain progress over the last year despite the land and utility challenges.
However, he expressed concern about sustaining the progress in the upcoming months if the two major issues are not settled promptly.
"We are now slightly behind our target. But the gap will widen if the problems are not solved," he added during a media briefing at the project site. Mr Feng said they have been collaborating with the Bridge Authority, considering traffic congestion on narrowed roads due to the construction.
Drawing from his experience in the area, the Chinese engineer said people from this area frequently approach them with requests to expedite the construction process, as they often wait for hours to cross the corridor, especially in the Ashulia area.
The CMC has identified several problems and recently alerted the project office. These issues include underground gas pipelines, cables and right-of-way concerns for pier locations.
The overhead expressway is being constructed by three Chinese subcontractors: China Major Bridge Engineering Group is working on the first 9.5km segment up to Gheor, Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Group Company is handling the next 13.50 km and Chiba Railway 16th Bureau Group is responsible for the remaining portion of the 24 km elevated expressway.
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