RHD inks deal with consultant

A consortium comprising two South Korean firms and one from India and another from Bangladesh has been selected as a consultant for the Joydebpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga Four-Lane Project to make the 70-km road fit for the proposed SAARC and Asian highways.

Under the leadership of Kunhwa Engineering and Consulting Company Ltd of Korea, the Korea Consultants International Company Ltd, the International Consultants and Technocrats Private Ltd of India and the Development Design Consultants Ltd of Bangladesh will work in the consortium as the design and supervision consultant for the project.

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) Wednesday signed an agreement with the consortium to this effect.

Communication Minister Obaidul Quader witnessed the signing ceremony, where Korean Ambassador Lee Yun Young was present, among others.

Officials said after the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways, the Joydebpur-Elenga road would be the country's 3rd four-lane highway.

They said the project titled "SASEK Road Connectivity Project: Joydevpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga Four-Lane" was important, as it would be the part of the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC).

The four-lane highway, after completion, will facilitate a significant rush of traffic to the country to cross the SAARC Corridor-4 and the Asian Highway-2.

The project will be implemented by 2018 at a cost of Tk 3.06 billion. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide Tk 1.84 billion to the project, while the rest will come from the government's own fund.

Officials said being a part of the SASEC, the project consultant would have to carry out a mixed up work.

They said the detailed design of the Joydebpur-Elenga Highway had been completed under another project of the RHD. So, the newly-appointed consultant will now review the design of the road, including bridges, flyovers and culverts, being planned along the highway.

The consultant will also prepare the tender document, provide procurement support, and perform supervision work at the implementation stage.

Apart from these, the consortium will work as the consultant supervisor for construction of the RHD headquarters and two land-port development work. It will also perform third party maintenance quality check for the RHD.

"The SASEC fund must be ensured for regional connectivity and institutional development, for which the land-port development work at Benapole and Burimari has been planned, and the consultants will be responsible for these," said project director Dilip Kumar Guha.

The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project on April 23, 2013. The proposed four-lane highway will also have two lanes for slow-driven vehicles, road safety measures, five flyovers, 27 bridges and 60 culverts.