Dhaka-Tangail-Rangpur Highway: Govt to turn it into tolled road
The two-lane Dhaka-Tangail-Rangpur highway that is being turned into a four-lane one has been selected for charging toll from those plying it.
This would be the second highway to be included in the list of roads from which the government would be charging toll after the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has also formed a committee last week to do some preliminary works such as selecting places for toll booths and asked the committee to submit a report within 15 days.
"We have started taking necessary preparation for collecting toll from the highway. But it may not be possible before the completion of the project works," RHD's Chief Engineer Abdus Sabur told The Daily Star on Thursday.
The government is implementing SASEC Road Connectivity Project-1 to expand 70km road from Joydevpur to Elenga into four-lane, with service roads on both sides at the cost of Tk 6,214.41 crore.
The project is scheduled to be completed in June next year.
On the other hand, SASEC Road Connectivity Project-1 is now under implementation for upgrading 190km highway from Elenga to Rangpur into a four-lane one at the cost of Tk 16,662 crore.
The deadline of the project is December 2024 with a one-year defect liability period.
In September 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in an Ecnec meeting, instructed the authorities concerned to collect tolls from long-haul vehicles on the national highways.
The move got momentum after she inaugurated the 55km expressway in March last year.
Earlier, the authorities had decided to start collecting tolls on the expressway once the Padma Bridge has opened to the public. The authorities have not yet finalised the toll for the bridge.
But the Road Transport and Highways Division, in the last month, decided to start toll collection from vehicles using the country's first expressway -- Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway -- from July.
The division also agreed to a toll rate proposed by a special committee. As per the proposal, the toll for a medium truck (two axles) would be Tk 9.9 per kilometre.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has fixed the rate at Tk 10 and the division has sent the proposal to the Finance Ministry last week, sources said.
If the finance ministry approved the rate, a medium truck would have to pay Tk 550 for using the entire 55km expressway on top of the toll for using the Padma Bridge once it is open to the public in June 2022.
After the toll collection starts on the expressway, the authorities will gradually begin collecting tolls on the national highways that are at least dual-carriageways.
Bus service operators and road-safety campaigners say the passengers will ultimately shoulder the burden as the transport companies would charge more from them once the decisions are implemented.
TOLL FOR SASEC CORRIDOR
The Division on January 11 wrote to RHD for implementing PM's instruction regarding toll collection from four-lane roads and recently gave a reminder, sources said.
In this given situation, RHD on Wednesday held a meeting with its Chief Engineer in the chair and attended by officials concerned, they said.
At the meeting, a committee led by Abul Kalam Azad, superintendent engineer (maintenance), was formed, Abdus Sabur said.
The committee will visit the highway and select sites for setting up toll plazas, he said, adding that they would submit a report regarding all necessary aspects within 15 days.
"We will take further steps following their report," he added.
The RHD is currently collecting tolls on the two-lane 50km Hatikumrul-Bonpara highway, 13.7km Chattogram Port Access Road, and 74km Dhaka-Sylhet highway between Jagadishpur and Sherpur.
Under 22,362km road network of RHD, 17.50km are eight-lane, 20.60km are six-lane and 584.54km are four-lane highways, according to its 2019-20 annual report.
Besides, 617km roads are now being upgrading into four lanes, Obaidul Quader said last month.