BRT line from Gazipur to Keraniganj in limbo

A plan to introduce a dedicated lane for plying buses from Gazipur to Keraniganj is in limbo due to failure to coordinate Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line with ongoing flyover projects, sources said.
The Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) sat with the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipa-khya (RAJUK) several times to integrate BRT system with the two flyover projects but could not do so.
Sources said the two flyover implementing agencies refused to provide bus lane dedicatedly for BRT along the flyovers and recommended to the DTCB to use common roads either above grade or at grade to run these buses.
But experts said mixing BRT with common traffic would not serve the main objective of running buses without any interruption to transport an estimated 16,000 passengers per hour within the 40-km corridor.
The LGED and the RAJUK have been implementing the Moghbazar-Mouchak-Malibagh flyover and the Babubazar flyover respectively. Of these, the first flyover is now under construction and another at planning stage under public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The DTCB is responsible for implementing BRT line-3 which is to establish dedicated bus lane from Airport to Keraniganj through Mohak-hali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Kakrail and Paltan. But the BRT line faces conflict with the two flyovers at Moghbazar and Kakrail.
Officials said integrating BRT line with the ongoing projects, mainly the two flyover projects, was the recommendation of the World Bank which is now providing technical support to the project.
They said the Bank was initially positive to provide fund for implementation of the same, but negotiation for the fund could not be started due to failure to fulfill its recommendation of integration of the ongoing projects with the BRT system.
Under the WB fund, the DTCB is now conducting the detailed design of BRT line-3 with the help of a Korean consortium. But sources said detailed design work has also been halted due to failure in taking a decision on the alignment.
The LGED has guided the DTCB to consider running BRT buses along the common lane of the Moghbazar part of the flyover and setting up BRT station near Ramna thana instead of Hatirjheel, as planned earlier.
But the RAJUK recommended running BRT at grade as it will not be possible for it to integrate the dedicated lane with the PPP modeled flyover.
Project Director Raihanul Ferdous said the Babubazar flyover has already given up its initial plan for the Mayor Hanif flyover and proposed MRT line-6 for which its ramp has been necessary to extend up to Shantinaagar from Gulistan.
"As Babubazar flyover ramp will touch at Shantingar, it is also not possible for us to take BRT onto the flyover coming from Moghbazar through Kakrail," he told the FE over phone.
But experts and consultants recommended dropping the plan of constructing the Babubazar flyover as it is beyond the Strategic Transport Plan (STP).
DTCB officials said the Japanese consultants working on revision of the STP also proposed not to construct the Babubazar flyover as it will also not be possible to integrate with mass transport system and other flyover networks already constructed and under construction in the city as a remedy of traffic jam.
Professor Shamsul Haque of Civil Engineering Department of the BUET said of the mass transport systems, BRT is implementable within the shortest time. But he added that this kind of conflict which arises for taking isolated projects by different agencies will damage beauty of the BRT.
He said mixing the BRT with common traffic or with any PPP project limits its potential to run buses uninterrupted maintaining time.
Dr Shamsul Haque, also consultant of the city's different projects, said integration of the BRT line with the city's ongoing project has been a must to ensure its link with another BRT project being planned from Gazipur to Airport.
The Roads and Highways Department has been implementing another BRT from Gazipur to Airport with funds of the Asian Development Bank and it is now at procurement stage by completing detailed design.
Professor Haque said if the BRT line-3 is not implemented, sufferings of passengers coming from Gazipur would multiple as they would not be able to find any alternative to come to the city after ending journey at Airport station.
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