Three flyovers to ease traffic jam in Hatirjheel project

Munima Sultana The government has taken a move to ease traffic congestion in and around Hatirjheel-Begunbari rain water retention pond area by constructing new infrastructures -two U loops (a kind of flyover) in Rampura and one in Sonargaon-- officials said Monday. Since the Hatirjheel-Begunbari road infrastructure was inaugurated on January 2, new pockets of traffic congestion have emerged in some areas including Rampura and Tongi Diversion road in Tejgaon. Officials said piling work of both the structures has already started at Rampura and Sonargaon sides. "We started the piling to construct two grade separations (U loop) in Rampura area under the Hatirjheel project as per plan to avoid all right turning," said project director Nazmul Alam. He said another U loop has also been planned under Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover project to divert the traffic without any stop at any signal points. Meanwhile, Finance Minister AMA Muhith issued demo official (DO) letter to the communications and LGRD and cooperatives ministries to sit together for constructing a flyover in coordination with newly-opened Hatirjheel area to resolve traffic jam along Sonargaon-Hatirjheel area. Though the DO was issued the day after after the Hatijheel road infrastructure was inaugurated, the LGRD ministry officials said: "The communications ministry actually does not have anything to do in this regard as the Hatirjheel project is under Rajuk and another flyover Maghbazar-Malibagh being under consideration of Local Government Engineering Department," said an official preferring not to be named. The LGED took the initiative to construct a flyover for resolving traffic jam from entire Sonargaon and Malibagh areas. Recently, the department signed an agreement with two firms to build the 8.25-kilometre flyover along the corridor. Nazrul Islam, Executive Engineer, LGED Dhaka Division, who is also the project director of the Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover project said the U loop/grade separation from the Sonargaon side has been included in this flyover project and it will be constructed in coordination with the Hatirjheel project.