Ehsanul Haque Jasim :
Although the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover is being constructed with the aim of reducing traffic jam and sufferings of commuters in the city, experts and urban planners voiced doubt about its effectiveness.
They expressed the doubt after opening of a portion of the flyover. The experts and the urban planners opined that the project would, rather, increase sufferings of the commuters instead of reducing the traffic congestions.
The experts and the urban planners said that the part of the flyover was opened with faulty design, and the whole flyover is being erected with several faults. They said that the flyover, designed more than a decade ago by foreign engineers with left-hand driving in mind, had several faults, including on the ramps.
“So the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover will help ease public sufferings a little bit,” said Prof Nazrul Islam, an urban planner and former chairman of the University Grant Commission (UGC).
In this situation, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Planning Ministry formed a three-member
subcommittee to check if there is any faulty in the flyover design. Md Tajul Islam, MP, is the head of the committee,
while Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury and Mohibur Rahman Manik are its members. “The committee has been formed to check whether the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover plan has problems and who are responsible for the faculties,” Tajul Islam said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated a portion of the country’s longest flyover on Wednesday. Just after the inauguration of the 2-km long portion from Satrasta intersection to Ramna Thana, a huge rush of vehicles was seen on the flyover, when all the adjacent roads were closed for several hours.
Visiting the area, the situation was also seen on Thursday. A tailback was seen at the Satrasta intersection where the vehicles came down from the flyover. Some said that the rush of vehicles was being witnessed on the occasion of opening of the flyover.
Many others said that the flyover wouldn’t ease the traffic jam in the city and the rush of vehicles would be seen there often. They said that the situation on the roads beneath the flyover did not improve much due to the partial opening and also the faulty design.
Prof Nazrul Islam said that the construction of a number of flyovers in the city, including the latest Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover, would not bring the expected benefit considering the volume of the investment.
Architect Iqbal Habib said that there is nothing to be excited about the project. The project has little usefulness considering the pressure of traffic. “As it failed to implement the traffic impact assessment and traffic volume mobility study comprehensively, it seems that the flyover project is like a Mohakhali flyover one,” he added.
He also said that the flyover is being erected with several faults. It has not enough options for vehicles taking right turn. It cannot ensure vehicles reaching destination in shorter time, he said.
Meanwhile, Project Director Mohammad Nazmul Alam said that the traffic jam at Tejgaon Satrasta intersection, FDC crossing, Moghbazar level crossing and Moghbazar areas would be reduced mostly following the inauguration of the first part of the flyover.
He hoped that the second part from Mouchak to Bangla Motor would be opened by June 30, while the third part from Kakrail to Rampura by December 16 this year, as 80 percent work of the project has already been completed.
The 8.7-km long flyover project is being implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department funded by the government with the assistance of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).
The PM formally opened the construction work on February 16 in 2013. The project work was scheduled to be completed within December 2015 and its costs increased to Tk 1,218.89 crore from Tk 772.70 crore due to increased construction cost. The project has been extended thrice. The project has failed its deadlines on several occasions.
