Govt invites PQ tender to build 2nd Dhaka-Ctg Highway
Friday, 22 January 2010
FE Report
The government has taken a move to invite pre-qualification (PQ) tender from national and international investors to construct the proposed second Dhaka-Chittagong Highway under public-private-partnership (PPP).
Roads and Highways Department (RHD) issued the international notice Thursday, inviting proposals for two options -- one to build an access control highway and another to explore possibility of building an elevated highway between the country's two major economic hubs.
Officials said the decision to invite proposals for both of the options in a single notice was taken to help the government take right decision on one option.
"The government is determined to build the second highway between Dhaka and Chittagong. But it has to decide which option would be the best," said RHD assistant chief engineer Tarun Tapan Dewan.
He said though the government has a feasibility study of the proposed access control highway, it wants to look into the possibility of constructing an elevated highway to save valuable land including agricultural land.
The tender notice said an access control highway would be constructed from Daukandi part of the existing highway moving towards Kachua-Laksham-Nangalkot to end at Rampur of the highway bypassing Feni. The feasibility study shows its total length to be 215-km which would also have 1.6-km flyover and 10-km mega bridges of different kinds.
The elevated expressway has been proposed for entire 230-km length of the existing Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
Though the government-appointed Canadian consultant had suggested three routes for the access control highway after a feasibility study, it also preferred the above route to reduce the length of the highway by 50-km. But the government failed to attract any bidder after the PQ tender was called twice in 2007 and 2008.
When the proposal was again placed before the Cabinet Committee on Economics Affairs for fresh tender in October last, the committee suggested exploring possibility to construct the second Dhaka Chittagong Highway through elevated way to minimise the use of land.
Mr Tapan said the government is determined to construct the second Dhaka-Chittagong Highway considering the growing number of vehicles between the two economic hubs. The government has already sent letters to all mission offices to look for foreign investors for the project through the chambers of the respective countries.
The Dhaka-Chittagong access control highway project was first initiated on the basis of a Malaysian company's study in 2005 through Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system. The cabinet however approved the project in 2006, based on a feasibility study conducted by Canadian SNC Lavalin Int'l Inc.
The Chittagong Port now handles more than 95 per cent of the country's total US$37 billion foreign trade, most of which is transported through the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. Some 90 per cent of the local manufacturing companies are also situated on the Dhaka-Chittagong economic corridor, making the highway the busiest in the country.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) said at least 500 people die and similar number are injured on the highway every year, as everyday it experiences an acute pressure of 18,000 vehicles on an average.
The government has taken a move to invite pre-qualification (PQ) tender from national and international investors to construct the proposed second Dhaka-Chittagong Highway under public-private-partnership (PPP).
Roads and Highways Department (RHD) issued the international notice Thursday, inviting proposals for two options -- one to build an access control highway and another to explore possibility of building an elevated highway between the country's two major economic hubs.
Officials said the decision to invite proposals for both of the options in a single notice was taken to help the government take right decision on one option.
"The government is determined to build the second highway between Dhaka and Chittagong. But it has to decide which option would be the best," said RHD assistant chief engineer Tarun Tapan Dewan.
He said though the government has a feasibility study of the proposed access control highway, it wants to look into the possibility of constructing an elevated highway to save valuable land including agricultural land.
The tender notice said an access control highway would be constructed from Daukandi part of the existing highway moving towards Kachua-Laksham-Nangalkot to end at Rampur of the highway bypassing Feni. The feasibility study shows its total length to be 215-km which would also have 1.6-km flyover and 10-km mega bridges of different kinds.
The elevated expressway has been proposed for entire 230-km length of the existing Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
Though the government-appointed Canadian consultant had suggested three routes for the access control highway after a feasibility study, it also preferred the above route to reduce the length of the highway by 50-km. But the government failed to attract any bidder after the PQ tender was called twice in 2007 and 2008.
When the proposal was again placed before the Cabinet Committee on Economics Affairs for fresh tender in October last, the committee suggested exploring possibility to construct the second Dhaka Chittagong Highway through elevated way to minimise the use of land.
Mr Tapan said the government is determined to construct the second Dhaka-Chittagong Highway considering the growing number of vehicles between the two economic hubs. The government has already sent letters to all mission offices to look for foreign investors for the project through the chambers of the respective countries.
The Dhaka-Chittagong access control highway project was first initiated on the basis of a Malaysian company's study in 2005 through Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system. The cabinet however approved the project in 2006, based on a feasibility study conducted by Canadian SNC Lavalin Int'l Inc.
The Chittagong Port now handles more than 95 per cent of the country's total US$37 billion foreign trade, most of which is transported through the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. Some 90 per cent of the local manufacturing companies are also situated on the Dhaka-Chittagong economic corridor, making the highway the busiest in the country.
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) said at least 500 people die and similar number are injured on the highway every year, as everyday it experiences an acute pressure of 18,000 vehicles on an average.