Major highways to have four lanes and connected with Padma bridge

The government also has a plan to construct a new flyover in Dhaka city to reduce traffic jam
The government plans to upgrade all highways, including the Dhaka-Barisal Highway, into four-lane ones and connect them with the Padma bridge, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday told parliament.

“It is unbelievable how narrow the Dhaka-Barisal is at some places – sometimes just 18 feet wide! We will make it a four-lane road like the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway,” Obaidul said in reply to a question from ruling party lawmaker AKM Jahangir Hossain.

The minister said the government had also taken up a project involving Tk22,000 crore to bring an end to traffic congestion in the capital.

Obaidul also informed the House that an elevated expressway would be 80 kilometres in length from Hemayetpur-Kadamtoli intersection to Madanpur on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.

“We have already prepared the Preliminary Development Project Proforma for the project with foreign aid and it is awaiting approval of the Planning Commission,” he said.

The government also has a plan to construct a new flyover in Dhaka city to reduce traffic jam and a 140-metre underpass from Mohakhali flyover to the adjacent area of the Prime Minister’s Office subject to a feasibility survey.

“The government has taken up a primary project to construct 440m service road and 490m flyover with a 580m ramp. The construction work of the 46.73km Dhaka Elevated Expressway would complete in 2018,” the minister added.

Replying to an MP’s question, Obaidul said commercial operation of the proposed metro rail in the capital would be possible to start by December 2019.

He said this year the government will float eight tenders for the projects that aim at easing traffic congestion in the capital; the construction work of these projects will start next year.

Of the total amount of these projects, the government will provide Tk5,390.48 crore and the Japan International Cooperation Agency will provide Tk16,594.59 crore.

The length of the Metro Rail Transit Line 6 will be 20.1km with 16 stations – three in Uttara and one each at Pallabi, IMT, Mirpur 10, Kazipara, Taltala, Agargaon, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Sonargaon, National Museum, Doel Chattar, Bangabandhu National Stadium, and Bangladesh Bank.

The metro train services will take less than 40 minutes to run the whole distance with an average speed of 100km an hour. The metro rail will have a capacity of carrying 60,000 passengers every hour.

Muhammad Zahidul Islam
dhakatribune

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