Govt plans flyover over Moghbazar crossing
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Munima Sultana
The government has taken plan to construct a flyover over the Moghbazar crossing with Japanese government assistance to ease the traffic congestion in the city's most traffic-pressure area.
Sources said the flyover is being planned to be constructed from Satmasjid Road to Bailey Road near Ramna police station.
It is designed to divert vehicles moving to and from Motijheel and Mohakhali areas from the mainstream traffic.
They said vehicles of Eskaton, Kawranbazar and Mouchak would use the existing road to cross the Moghbazar area.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already assured the government of providing the entire fund of $35 million as grant upon its finding that the Moghbazar area gets the highest pressure of traffic compared to the city's other areas, said a ministry official preferring anonymity.
According to the JICA-funded Dhaka Urban Transport Network Development Study, the traffic of Moghbazar area is 1.5 to 2.0 time higher than that in other areas of the city.
The official said the Moghbazar flyover project has been taken to avert accidents on the rail crossing as well.
Dr SM Salehuddin, additional executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB), said after getting Japanese government assurance, DTCB started working on the flyover project and completed its strategic design.
He said as per the strategic design, the length of the flyover would be more than 1.0 kilometre.
Dr. Salehuddin said the DTCB proposed to construct the Moghbazar flyover to implement one of the components of the Dhaka city's Strategic Transport Plan considering its impact on easing traffic jam in the area suffering from highest traffic congestion in the city.
The communication ministry held a meeting with JICA last week and instructed the DTCB and the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) to complete necessary ground works within this week for starting the project speedily.
An official said the ministry has also instructed the DTCB and the RHD, transport sector's policy and implementing agencies, to confirm the location of the flyover by consulting the experts including the JICA team working on the city's overall transport feasibility study.
The government has taken plan to construct a flyover over the Moghbazar crossing with Japanese government assistance to ease the traffic congestion in the city's most traffic-pressure area.
Sources said the flyover is being planned to be constructed from Satmasjid Road to Bailey Road near Ramna police station.
It is designed to divert vehicles moving to and from Motijheel and Mohakhali areas from the mainstream traffic.
They said vehicles of Eskaton, Kawranbazar and Mouchak would use the existing road to cross the Moghbazar area.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already assured the government of providing the entire fund of $35 million as grant upon its finding that the Moghbazar area gets the highest pressure of traffic compared to the city's other areas, said a ministry official preferring anonymity.
According to the JICA-funded Dhaka Urban Transport Network Development Study, the traffic of Moghbazar area is 1.5 to 2.0 time higher than that in other areas of the city.
The official said the Moghbazar flyover project has been taken to avert accidents on the rail crossing as well.
Dr SM Salehuddin, additional executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB), said after getting Japanese government assurance, DTCB started working on the flyover project and completed its strategic design.
He said as per the strategic design, the length of the flyover would be more than 1.0 kilometre.
Dr. Salehuddin said the DTCB proposed to construct the Moghbazar flyover to implement one of the components of the Dhaka city's Strategic Transport Plan considering its impact on easing traffic jam in the area suffering from highest traffic congestion in the city.
The communication ministry held a meeting with JICA last week and instructed the DTCB and the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) to complete necessary ground works within this week for starting the project speedily.
An official said the ministry has also instructed the DTCB and the RHD, transport sector's policy and implementing agencies, to confirm the location of the flyover by consulting the experts including the JICA team working on the city's overall transport feasibility study.