Staff Reporter :
The first phase of the on-going Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project from Satrasta to Ramna thana was opened to traffic on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 2.11-km part of the 8.7-km flyover to traffic through unveiling a plaque at Satrasta Point and took a drive to reach the venue of the inauguration ceremony at Dhaka Officers’ Club.
Commuters of the city’s Airport Road, Mohakhali, Satrasta and Moghbazar intersection heaved a sigh of relief yesterday with the opening of the first phase of the flyover stating that traffic congestion there has become nearly non-existent, helping save time and fuel.
Mohammad Rubel Sheikh, driver of a passenger bus, said sometimes it took nearly one hour to cross the intersection to reach Moghbazar from Mohakhali.
“But now it was taking only around 10 minutes as vehicles were moving uninterrupted, even when a train was passing through the intersection,” he said.
Considering the benefit of the commuters the government has decided to open the first phase of the flyover for traffic despite the total work of the project is set to complete in June next year.
SIMPLEX-Navana joint venture company has constructed the 2.1 km long first phase of the flyover stretching from Satrasta point of Tejgaon area to Holy Family Hospital point.
All modes of vehicles including passenger transports from Uttara, Airport, Mohakhali, Satrasta and Banani now can be directly crossed Moghbazar railway crossing. The Moghbazar-Mouchak is being constructed in three parts — from Holy Family Hospital point to Tejgaon; Kakrail to Rampura; and Mouchak to Banglamotor — in an effort to ease traffic congestions between the city’s northern and southern parts.
A level crossing at the intersection closes 98 times every day. This used to halt traffic for a total of around eight hours and create around one-kilometre long tailbacks in the four directions,
After completion of the all parts of the construction works the flyover will usher in a new chapter in the road communications system of the mega city. It will facilitate north and south connectivity and reduce travel time of commuters The flyover will make easy road communication between northern and southern parts of Dhaka City increasing the capacity of traffic in different intersections particularly at FDC point, Mogbazar, Mouchak, Malibag and Shantinagar.
Other two phases– one from Bangla Motor to Mouchak point and the other from Shantinagar to Rampura point connecting Razarbag and Malibag would be completed by June next year.
The project work, which was scheduled to be completed by December 2015, started in 2013 instead of the original schedule of 2011. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the inauguration stone on February 16, 2013. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) first approved the project on March 8, 2011 involving Tk 772.70 crore. In January last, Ecnec approved the revision of the gigantic project with an extension of 18 months and increased cost of Tk 446.20 crore, raising the overall project cost to Tk 1218.90 crore.
The single-pier flyover on 1222 piles will have two and four lanes, three level crossing, eight intersections, 15 ramps, 544 pre-stressed guarder and 1995 box-guarders, he said.
Local Government Division is implementing the flyover project with GOB and Saudi Development (SFD) Fund at a cost of about Taka 1218.90 crore. The cost of the first phase was Taka 280 crore.
Addressing the inaugural function Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed grave concern over frequent fatal road accidents because of lack of knowledge about traffic rules among citizens, asking for massive campaign on the issue particularly in mass media and among students in educational institutions.
She said construction of 20km Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) from Uttara to Mirpur has been launched while 47 kilometer elevated expressway from north to south of Dhaka city is also going to begin after settlement of the dispute on land acquisition.
The Prime Minister extended her thanks to the Saudi government for its support to build the flyover and recalled the support of the Kingdom in many other projects particularly for renovation of the Baitul Mokarram national Mosque. She also hoped that the rest of the work of the flyover project would be completed by the stipulated time.
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain presided over the function held at Dhaka Officers’ Club. Saudi ambassador to Bangladesh Abdullah H. M. Al-Mutairi and Secretary of Local Government Division Abdul Malek also spoke on the occasion. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on LGRD Ministry Abul Hasnat Abdullah, mayors of Dhaka North and South City Corporations Anisul Haque and Sayeed Khokan were present.
Shyama Prasad Adhikari, Chief Engineer of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) gave a presentation on different aspects of the project, which he said was implemented as part of Dhaka Strategic Transport Plan (STP).
