The condition of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway has further worsened, as nearly 50 kilometres of the highway has become unfit to traffic due to potholes and craters at different points. The deplorable condition will cause serious inconveniences to the homebound people ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr during their journey.
The reasons behind the poor state of the highway can be attributed to slow speed of construction work, unplanned digging and absence of repair work. The delay in the implementation of the four-lane Dhaka-Mymensingh highway project is also responsible for the suffering of commuters, as tailback is created every day on the highway, said drivers and passengers.
Roads and highways passing through Joydebpur Chowrasta, Salna, Purabari, Rajendrapur Chowrasta, Hotapara, Mawna and Nayanpur Bazar and some other parts have been badly damaged, stretching traffic congestion up to 30-40 km.
A passenger said that the suffering on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway has reached new heights, taking over 7-8 hours to reach Mymensingh from Dhaka, a journey that would normally take 2-3 hours. Many have begun traveling by train. The situation is expected to get even worse before Eid.
The authorities were scheduled to complete the construction work of the four-lane project by August 2013, but it has not been completed till now. Communications Minister Obaidul Quader said that construction work of the four-lane project from Mymensingh to Bhaluka would be completed by December this year.
The construction work is going on over 90 kilometres of this highway. Half of the highway has been blocked with construction materials for months.
Md Hafizur Rahman, Project Director of the ‘Dhaka-Mymensingh Four-Lane’ project, said that they were trying to complete the construction work as soon as possible. About the deplorable condition of the highway, he said that the have instructed the contractors of the project to remain alert to tackle any situation ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Obaidul Quader, however, said that the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway would be repaired within a week to ease the public sufferings.
The newly expanded four-lane site- Dhaka-Tangail part- of the highway is also in deplorable condition. The expanded site is occupied by buses, trucks and shops. In this situation, the minister said that it would be useless to widen roads if they are to be encroached on. “How will it benefit to widen roads to four or eight or twelve lanes if they are occupied?” he asked while visiting the expended site of highway in Gazipur on Monday.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) took the Tk 983 crore project of four-lane in Dhaka-Mymensigh highway in 2010 to expand the national highway using government funds, and signed deals with contractor firms in January 2011, issuing work orders in March of the same year.
