National Desk :
Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) has planned to extend six roads in the port city with a view to reducing traffic congestion.
The roads are: Goni Bakery to Kazir Dewari, Kazir Dewari to Golpahar Crossing, Lovelane to Cheragi Pahar crossing to Nandankanan, Firingibazar to Sadarghat crossing, Commerce College Junction to Madarbari-Barik Building Junction and Bahaddarhat to Oxygen-Quaish Road.
CDA Chairman Zahirul Alam Dobas told BSS that a few narrow roads in the port city are causing severe traffic jam every day. “We have plan to extend these roads. Feasibility study of these roads is being underway. Then we will prepare DPP and send it to the ministry,” he said.
Dobas said, “Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is very sincere about the development of Chattogram. I believe that if the projects are brought to her notice by highlighting their importance and need, she will definitely approve the projects.”
CDA sources said that CDA has already constructed many roads and flyovers keeping in mind the inadequacy of roads. But the expected traffic congestion could not be reduced as some important and busy roads of the city still remain narrow. Considering the public importance, CDA has taken up a project to widen six roads. Each road will be 60 feet wide. In addition, the ramp-loop of the elevated expressway will be connected to Badamtali Junction and Commerce College Road. If the road leading to Kadamtali bypassing the Commerce College is made 60 feet, the residents of this part in the city will have easy access to the elevated expressway.
Traffic congestion will also be reduced on Sheikh Mujib Road. In addition to this project, CDA has undertaken the second project of Outer Ring Road and the third project to extend Zakir Hossain Road to Agrabad Access Road and from the back of Bahaddarhat Bus Terminal to Kalurghat via Ananya residential area at a cost of TK 4,000 crore.
Kazi Hassan Bin Shams, chief engineer of the CDA, told BSS that the only purpose of widening the road is to make the city livable and comfortable.
“In this case, despite the CDA flyover and some roads, the traffic congestion in the city has remained unchanged. We have adopted a plan to expand six roads with this mind. I believe that if these six roads are widened, the speed of traffic in the city will be comfortable,” he added.
“We hope that this Corona epidemic will come under control by the next year. We will be able to submit the DPP after completing the feasibility work within this period,” he further added.
