Mahakhali flyover nears finishing tape

The Mahakhali flyover speeding ahead towards completion. PHOTO: Syed Zakir Hossain

After some uncertainty and a lull in activity, construction work of the Mahakhali flyover has gained momentum significantly over the last four months and is on course to be finished on time.

Construction began on December 6, 2001 and the projected completion deadline is June 2004.

But newspapers had earlier reported that the flyover could be delayed by at least six months due to mismanagement and irregularities.

"Although there were some irregularities in the project even a few months ago, hopefully we have put them behind us. I am confident that construction will be completed within the scheduled time," said executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) Quamrul Islam Siddiqui.

The flyover that stretches 1.01 km is expected to reduce the notorious traffic snarl-ups on the Airport Road. The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is implementing the project.

Back in March this year, 20.49 per cent of the total work was completed while the projected progress during that period was set at 29.98 per cent. Naturally, there were cries of concern regarding how long it might actually take to finish the flyover. But the DTCB executive claimed that they have successfully launched a catching up campaign.

"We are now only 6.44 per cent behind schedule. Because of the concerted effort from all concerned, we have completed 51.97 per cent of the entire work. With the completion date approaching, we are hopeful of making up for the remaining lost ground and open the flyover for traffic in June," said Siddiqui.

"Out of 400 segments, 135 have been completed. With the rainy season over, the fixation of segments will get momentum," added Siddiqui.

The encouraging news of the flyover will bring extreme relief to the commuters as construction work is seriously hampering traffic movement in the area. During peak hours, long traffic jams are a regular feature. Although the cantonment authorities have allowed civilian traffic movement through military areas to ease the congestion at Mahakhali, traffic queues have become common there too.