BSS, Chittagong :
Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) run Kadamtali flyover project is expected to be completed by December, nearly six months ahead of the schedule.
The CDA has completed over 75 percent of the project work and it expects to finish the project within December this year as construction work of the project is going on in full swing, the CDA sources said.
Completion of the rest 25 percent of the construction work would not take much time , Executive Engineer and Project Director Ahmed Mainuddin told BSS .
” As part of the project, we are constructing the 1140-meter flyover stretching from the city’s Old Railway Station premises to Dhanialapara over the existing railway track,” he said adding,” we have completed construction of all 24 piers ear and box-girders and I-girders of 14 spans. “
He said, two box-girders and 12 -I size-girders for the rest six spans are yet to be constructed and existing road would get facelift by December this year.
Tender process has already been completed for existing both sides road renovation work and road construction work would be completed within February next, Moinuddin said.
Of the project fund, Tk 49.8 crore would be spent for construction of flyover while the rest Taka 8.2 crore would required for renovating the existing road running beneath the flyover, he said.
CDA took up the project to ease increasing number of gridlock in the city, for constructing the flyover at the busiest and important road intersection of Kadamtali in 2009.
The project involving Taka 58 crore was approved in 2010. Government of Bangladesh was to provide Taka 51.8 crore and the rest Taka 7.2 crore is being provided by CDA.
Construction period of the project was three years till June 2013.
However, they expect to complete the project six month ahead of the extended time for construction work expiring June 2015.
It took long two years to start the construction work formally on July 13, 2012 since contractor had to be appointed through floating the tender twice.
When asked, CDA Chairman Abdus Salam said, construction of the flyover is going on in full swing.
Having most of the construction work already done we hope to implement the project by December this year six months earlier than the extended time for construction work expiring June 2015.
Construction of Kadamtali flyover is a part of the initiative taken to free the city from traffic jam, he said.
Sources in CDA said the flyover project aimed at facilitating movement of vehicles from the old city centre to Agrabad commercial area and Chittagong port over the railway truck that divides the city into northern and southern parts.
The narrow road stretching from bottom of CRB hill to Kadamtali intersection through Atmassing Railway Level Crossing was the lone road to connect Nasirabad, Chawkbazar, Rahmatganj, Anderkilla, Jamal Khan, Enayet Bazar and Anderkilla of the city centre to the commercially important southern part of the city until the Dewanhat Over Bridge was opened in early eighties.
Dewangat Over Bridge that stretches from Tigerpass to Kadamtali intersection was not sufficient to take the huge load of traffic movement between the northern and southern parts of the city.
As such, there is always a serious congestion of traffic at Kadamtali intersection. The inter-district bus and truck terminal beside the intersection worsened the situation, said the sources.
So, construction of flyover was needed to ease gridlock at Kadamtali intersection as well as reducing the huge pressure on the three-decade old Dewanhat Over Bridge, they said.
