UNB, Dhaka :
Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) has worked out a plan to construct a 220-km elevated expressway with a multimodal transport corridor over the existing Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to boost trade by ensuring faster communication between the two major cities.
Once the elevated expressway is constructed with rail tracks costing Tk 80,000 crore, a passenger will be able to travel from Dhaka to Chittagong or Chittagong to Dhaka within one hour by high speed train while it will take two hours by bus, claim BBA officials.
They also said a Chinese investor is keen on implementing the entire project on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis or under a government-to-government arrangement.
Transport and urban experts think elevated expressway is a better option than the at-grade (through land) one given the country’s shrinking land.
Besides, they said, Tk 13,640 crore will have to be spent only on land acquisition and relocating other establishments as opposed to removing a large number of houses, mega structures, schools and mosques to construct the at-grade expressway.
Under the circumstances, BBA executive engineer Wahiduzzamn told UNB that they have taken an initiative for building the 220-km elevated expressway with a multimodal transport corridor.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the project summary after it was sent to her at the end of 2016.
Following the PM’s approval, Wahiduzzamn said, they have invited tender for conducting a feasibility study and 22 companies have submitted documents to take part in the bidding.
“We’ll soon shortlist 4 to 7 companies examining their papers and then request them to submit their proposals to this end. We’ll complete the tender process within a short time and send the proposal to the Cabinet Purchase Committee for approval,” said BBA Chief Engineer Kabir Ahmed.
He hoped that the work on the feasibility study of the project will start within six months after receiving approval from the cabinet body. “We hope the work on the elevated expressway project will begin in early 2020.”
“A Chinese investor has already given us a proposal to implement the project. We’re evaluating it. The investing company is willing to collect toll for 30 years on completion of the project and then hand it over to us. We’re bargaining to fix it at 25 years instead of 30,” he added.
Justifying the project, Kabir said it will not only ease traffic and make travelling faster, but also save huge agricultural lands, markets, mosques, educational institutions and establishments from being consumed by the construction of a new expressway on land for the same route.
Besides, he said, a huge amount of goods could be transported by freight trains from 10:00pm to 5:00am on the elevated expressway as pressure of passengers would be the lowest during that time period.
Talking to UNB, Urban transport system expert Prof Shamsul Hoque of Buet’s civil engineering department said, “To the best of my knowledge, the Prime Minister has already approved elevated expressway. I also personally think we should go for this option instead of at-grade one.”
Controlling or ensuring vehicular movement on an at-grade expressway is quite impossible as it usually passes through many markets and establishments, he said, adding that there will be no such problem in the case of an elevated expressway.
“Dhaka-Chittagong Highway is our economic corridor. We should ensure multimodal transport corridor on this route integrating land use. Developing roads by acquiring land is an outdated and plain method,” Prof Hoque added.
Urban expert and former chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Nazrul Islam echoed Hoque’s observations and said the at-grade expressway will not be feasible for the country for many reasons, including land shortage and over population.
“As we’re now moving ahead to be a middle-income country, we should improve our transport sector and infrastructure for easy and faster transportation of goods and passengers. Elevated expressway can be a vital option in this regard.”
Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) has worked out a plan to construct a 220-km elevated expressway with a multimodal transport corridor over the existing Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to boost trade by ensuring faster communication between the two major cities.
Once the elevated expressway is constructed with rail tracks costing Tk 80,000 crore, a passenger will be able to travel from Dhaka to Chittagong or Chittagong to Dhaka within one hour by high speed train while it will take two hours by bus, claim BBA officials.
They also said a Chinese investor is keen on implementing the entire project on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis or under a government-to-government arrangement.
Transport and urban experts think elevated expressway is a better option than the at-grade (through land) one given the country’s shrinking land.
Besides, they said, Tk 13,640 crore will have to be spent only on land acquisition and relocating other establishments as opposed to removing a large number of houses, mega structures, schools and mosques to construct the at-grade expressway.
Under the circumstances, BBA executive engineer Wahiduzzamn told UNB that they have taken an initiative for building the 220-km elevated expressway with a multimodal transport corridor.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the project summary after it was sent to her at the end of 2016.
Following the PM’s approval, Wahiduzzamn said, they have invited tender for conducting a feasibility study and 22 companies have submitted documents to take part in the bidding.
“We’ll soon shortlist 4 to 7 companies examining their papers and then request them to submit their proposals to this end. We’ll complete the tender process within a short time and send the proposal to the Cabinet Purchase Committee for approval,” said BBA Chief Engineer Kabir Ahmed.
He hoped that the work on the feasibility study of the project will start within six months after receiving approval from the cabinet body. “We hope the work on the elevated expressway project will begin in early 2020.”
“A Chinese investor has already given us a proposal to implement the project. We’re evaluating it. The investing company is willing to collect toll for 30 years on completion of the project and then hand it over to us. We’re bargaining to fix it at 25 years instead of 30,” he added.
Justifying the project, Kabir said it will not only ease traffic and make travelling faster, but also save huge agricultural lands, markets, mosques, educational institutions and establishments from being consumed by the construction of a new expressway on land for the same route.
Besides, he said, a huge amount of goods could be transported by freight trains from 10:00pm to 5:00am on the elevated expressway as pressure of passengers would be the lowest during that time period.
Talking to UNB, Urban transport system expert Prof Shamsul Hoque of Buet’s civil engineering department said, “To the best of my knowledge, the Prime Minister has already approved elevated expressway. I also personally think we should go for this option instead of at-grade one.”
Controlling or ensuring vehicular movement on an at-grade expressway is quite impossible as it usually passes through many markets and establishments, he said, adding that there will be no such problem in the case of an elevated expressway.
“Dhaka-Chittagong Highway is our economic corridor. We should ensure multimodal transport corridor on this route integrating land use. Developing roads by acquiring land is an outdated and plain method,” Prof Hoque added.
Urban expert and former chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Nazrul Islam echoed Hoque’s observations and said the at-grade expressway will not be feasible for the country for many reasons, including land shortage and over population.
“As we’re now moving ahead to be a middle-income country, we should improve our transport sector and infrastructure for easy and faster transportation of goods and passengers. Elevated expressway can be a vital option in this regard.”
