The government has planned to upgrade the existing 5.4-km Jatrabari-Demra road into four-lane aiming to ease traffic congestion at the entrance of the capital Dhaka.
“The Roads and Highways Department under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges has already prepared a draft project proposal to this end and the Planning Commission has received it,” said a senior official of the Planning Commission.
Taking to BSS, he said the project titled ‘Jatrabari (Mayor Hanif Flyover)-Demra (Sultana Kamal Bridge)’ will be implemented at an estimated cost of Taka 338 crore by June 2020.
Officials at the Roads and Highways Division said despite upgrading the Jatrabari-Kanchpur Highway into eight-lane, traffic congestion is often created on this busy highway.
Besides, vehicles plying on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway frequently use the Tarabo-Jatrabari road to get some relief from using the Kanchpur Bridge. Side by side, the toll system on Mayor Hanif Flyover is also prompting the vehicles to use Jatrabari-Demra road.
“Under the present circumstances, the Roads and Highways Division has taken a plan to upgrade the highway into four lanes to cut traffic congestion at the entrance of the capital,” said a Roads and Highways Division official. He said vehicles to and from Feni, Noakhali, Chattogram, Chandpur, Cumilla and Sylhet often use this narrow-shaped Jatrabari-Demra Road. “Side by side, many business establishments have also been set up along this busy road in recent times causing acute traffic congestion there.” Under the present scenario, the official said, the existing 7.3 metre width Jatrabari-Demra highway will be upgraded into four-lane having width of 15.6 metre. Besides, there will be separate service lane on both sides of the road to facilitate movement of smaller vehicles, three wheelers and non-motorised slow moving vehicles.
The main project operations include construction of 5.4-km main highway, 7.3-km service lane for the slow-moving vehicles, construction of three underpasses having five-metre height, construction of eight underpasses having three metre height, construction of 25.74 metre of PC girder Bridge, construction of one foot over bridge, some four lakh cubic metre earth works, construction of 11.6-km footpath and drains, embankment protection works, toe wall construction and road marking.
Once the project is approved and implemented, the Planning Commission official said, it will help ease the traffic congestion in that part of the capital.
After necessary formalities, the project will be placed before the meeting of the ECNEC for its consideration, he said.
