RHD moves to accelerate BRT South implementation process

Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has taken a move to accelerate the implementation process of southern part of the bus-based mass transport system in the city.
The objective is to facilitate effective operation of the system's northern part, which is now under construction, officials said.
They said the RHD has already prepared Tk 380 million technical project to update the detailed design of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) South and prepared bid documents to select the contractors.
The BRT South project lagged behind for not getting necessary cooperation from the authorities concerned in providing dedicated lane from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) to Keraniganj, they added.
After getting the World Bank's assurance of funding part of the BRT South Corridor, officials said the RHD has taken the move to revise the detailed design with necessary facilities for ensuring passengers' arrival up to Mohakhali.
"Finalisation of the design and bid documents will help the RHD to start construction soon after signing the contract with the project financier," said Project Director M Sanaul Haque.
He said the World Bank has assured of providing US$ 6.0 million in advance out of the $ 500 million loan commitment to do the preparatory works.
The construction of the BRT North, a dedicated two-lane corridor from Gazipur to HSIA began two years ago. But the passengers would be in trouble to come to the city without completion of the BRT South.
The World Bank provided the necessary support to carry feasibility study of BRT South and complete the detailed design of 22.3 kilometre corridor at an estimated cost of Tk 47 billion.
But the bank refused to fund the project later due to being unable to solve the conflict with two flyovers of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakhya and Local Government Engineering Department, which did not provide the dedicated two lanes for the BRT.
The RHD officials said that under the project, the design of around 10 km of BRT South will be updated up to Mohakhali bus terminal providing scope of feeder services.
Some underpasses may be added in the design to avoid conflict with U-loops planned in between the HSIA and Mohakhali Bus Terminal.
The technical project is now waiting for approval from project evaluation committee of the Planning Commission, the officials added.
DTCA proposed the two BRT corridors in line with the Strategic Transport Plan. The BRT 3 is divided into two parts - North and South. North is under construction with the financial support of three financiers, including the Asian Development Bank.
According to the DTCA's design, the southern part of BRT is supposed to have 16 stations with average distance of 1.5 km. It also proposed construction of Mohakhali Bus Terminal and a bus depot at a cost of Tk 11.63 billion.
Under the detailed design, intersection modification, stations, underpass, box culvert, bridge and pedestrian structures were also proposed.

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