Upgradation of 4-lane approach road abandoned

CHITTAGONG, Apr 16: The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in Chittagong has abandoned the upgradation of four-lane Bahaddarhat-Karnaphuli Bridge approach road after two years when work of the project was scheduled to be completed.

About Tk 200 million has already been spent for construction of road bridges and culverts, removal of electric poles and other civil works in the project although a very negligible amount was allotted by the government over two years.

According to an executive engineer of the recently revised Karnaphuli Bridge Project, 12 per cent work of the original project was completed by the contractor concerned and the expenditure of the government was Tk 110 million.

People of the port city have been deprived of the benefit of the Karnaphuli 3rd Bridge since its opening in October 2010 because expansion of the project to four lanes undertaken in September 2011 could not be implemented due to lack of adequate attention to the project for causes better known to the officials concerned of the RHD in Chittagong.

The RHD got approval of the Bahaddarhat intersection to Karnaphuli 3rd Bridge Approach Road four-lane expansion project by the ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council) chaired by the Prime Minister in 2009 at an estimated cost of Tk 1.425 billion, which was later enhanced to Tk 1.60 billion.