Chinese co to build BRT line from Gazipur to Uttara

Work on the country's first bus-based rapid transit (BRT) corridor will begin soon.
The authorities concerned awarded on Wednesday the first contract of the project to a Chinese company for introducing the BRT line from Gazipur to Uttara.
Officials said China Gegova Group Company was qualified for the construction of 16-kilometre road and six flyovers for introducing BRT service from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by 2018.
The work order to the company was given on Wednesday after getting approval from the cabinet committee on government purchase on October 26, they added.
Project Director AQM Ekram Ullah said the Chinese company has been qualified being the lowest bidder among 10 companies from China, Bangladesh and India against its Tk 8.55 billion offer.
He said the contract with the company will be signed within three weeks after completing necessary formalities with the target to start the construction work from January.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD), lead implementing agency of the Asian Development Bank-funded project, has planned to expand existing 20km road from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal Airport to eight to 12-lane roads for introducing the country's first mass transit line.
Under the project named 'Greater Dhaka Urban Sustainable Transport ', Tongi bridge will also be turned into eight lanes.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) and the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) are also engaged in constructing 4.5-kilometre elevated expressway and lane and by-lane, and an administrative building, refueling stations, washing and repairing plants for the BRT buses at the depot.
According to a study, the BRT system can transport 20,000 passengers in the corridor every hour.
Sources said tender process of the BBA and the LGED is in progress and both are likely to be completed in two to three months.
Though the BRT is considered as the cheapest investment project in the world, it has already proven costly in the country compared to cost of similar projects in the Philippines and Columbia.
The officials said this cost was hiked for carrying extra works to make the BRT corridor efficient for greater Dhaka through establishing sustainable transport system. It will be a multimodal transport corridor in the long run, they added.
According to the officials, RHD's part of the work, which was estimated Tk 4.31 billion, was hiked to Tk 9.09 billion for reconstructing, strengthening and overlaying of existing roads and pavements and 25 stations will be set up, and five flyovers will be constructed.
Cost of the BBA's part of the corridor has also been hiked from Tk 6.14 billion to Tk 12.62 billion.
The BRT corridor is likely to be connected with 131 roads including those between Dhaka and Mymensigh.
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