The much-awaited 8.7-km Mouchak-Moghbazar flyover was fully opened to public with the just-completed around 4-km Malibagh-Rajarbagh-Shantinagar section on Thursday, aiming to ease traffic congestion and ensure better road communications in the capital.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally declared the flyover open through a videoconference from her official residence Ganobhaban. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister called upon the city dwellers to be careful in using this flyover while the people of the country to take care of roads and other flyovers elsewhere.
She also urged all to follow traffic rules strictly saying, “This is very much indispensable, but many don’t follow it.” Sheikh Hasina also urged all to consider these as national resources and thus discharge their respective duties accordingly. “We do expect that.” She hoped that the Mouchak-Moghbazar flyover will play an important role in addressing acute traffic congestion, easing movement of people and saving travel time.
The Prime Minister said her government has been moving forward the country and Bangladesh is now regarded as a role model of development across the globe. “You can now clearly see that development can be dynamic if there is continuity of the government.” She said her government has been implementing the development initiatives one after another after since assuming office in 2008 and the development spree is continuing since the Awami League government continued office through winning the January-5polls.
“If we can win the 2018 election again, then we could speedily accomplish the rest of development works and thus turn Bangladesh into a happy and prosperous country,” she added.
Taking a swipe at the BNP-Jamaat government for halting the development initiatives of the Awami League government after the 2001 election, she alleged that the BNP-Jamaat alliance could not achieve any visible development during their tenure other than spreading corruption, looting, conspiracy, and creating militancy and Bangla Bhai. “Bangladesh then became champion in corruption for five times and the country was pushed towards anarchy and in the seven years period including the emergency government period, the country’s development came to a complete halt,” she added. Hasina noted that the number of vehicles in the country is now increasing since there is improvement in economic condition of people. “This shows the upward index of economic development.” To reduce the acute traffic congestion in the city, she said, her government has implemented various projects like Bijoy Saranai Link Road, Zillur Rahman Flyover, Mayor Hanif Flyover and Kuril Flyover in the capital alongside implementing the scenic Hatirjheel project.
Besides, a feasibility study is being conducted to implement Dhaka Circular Road and Eastern Bypass project, she added. The Prime Minister also sought cooperation of all in accomplishing the rest of the development works. In March last year, Hasina inaugurated the first phase of two-km four-lane carriageway section of the flyover stretching from Shaheed Captain Mansur Ali Sarani near Holy Family Hospital to Saat Rasta intersection (Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Sarani).
Later, in mid-September last year, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated another 2.25-km section of the flyover connecting Bangla Motor and Mouchak.
In May this year, the minister also inaugurated an extended 450-metre section of the flyover stretching between Hatirjheel intersection and Sonargaon intersection across Karwan Bazar level crossing.
The extension was included midway through the construction drawing flak that it would only add to traffic mess near Sonargaon Hotel. The Tk 1,219-crore flyover has been built on 311 single piers along the central line of the existing roads with 50 ramps. Hasina inaugurated the flyover construction on February 16, 2013.
Of the total length of 8.7 kilometers, the length of the Tejgaon Satrasta to Holy Family Hospital Portion via Moghbazar circle and the extended portion till Sonargaon Rail Crossing is 2.555 kilometres, the length of the Shantinagar-Rajarbagh-Malibagh-Rampura portion is 3.937 kilometres while the length of the Banglamotor to Mouchak portion via Moghbazar circle is 2.208 kilometres. According to the Local Government Engineering Department, the implementing agency of the project, the flyover will help vehicular movement over eight road intersections and three level crossings-Karwan Bazaar, Moghbazar and Malibagh-and will also help ease chronic traffic congestion for north-south traffic movement. The LGED embarked on the flyover scheme in early 2013 amid raging controversy with a 2005 layout configuration ignoring mandatory approval of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority. The project was originally scheduled to start in 2011 and completed by December 2015, but it started in 2013.
In January 2015, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved a revision of the project with an extension of 18 months till June 2017 and an increase in the cost by Tk 446.2 crore. The scheme is financed jointly by the Saudi Development Fund, OPEC Fund for International Development and the government of Bangladesh. Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Engineer Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain delivered the welcome address from Gonobhaban while PM’s principal secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury conducted the meeting.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Saad Al Qahtani, head of Islami Division of Royal Saudi Embassy in Dhaka was also present on the occasion.
After the inauguration of the flyover, the Prime Minister exchanged views with local representatives and political leaders at Mouchak point. Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokan, acting mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Osman Gani and DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, among others, took part in the views-exchange event.
