Dhaka-Ctg Highway Expansion: Example of wasting public money

The Dhaka-Chattogram highway expansion project is a classic case of how poor planning and bad decisions can cause a huge waste of public money.

The project covering 192km stretch took Tk 3,439 crore to turn a two-lane highway into a four-lane one.

But within just two years of its formal opening in 2017, the highway suffered substantial damages, forcing the government to sanction another Tk 793 crore for repair and maintenance.

The highway, considered the lifeline of the country’s trade and commerce, was supposed to last for ten years without any major damage, according to the initial design of the project taken up in 2006.

But it started falling apart six months into its inauguration, thanks to the absence of a feasibility study and proper traffic forecast.

Besides, a government decision to increase maximum weight limit of goods-laden vehicles further aggravated the situation, causing destruction of a large segment of the country’s busiest route.

The project overran by six years as there was weakness in the development project proforma (DPP), which compelled the Roads and Highways Department to amend it several times, eventually resulting in cost escalation and long delays.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on September 3 passed a Tk 793-crore project for the maintenance. Moreover, the RHD has already spent Tk 32.25 crore in the last two fiscal years to repair ruts.

But an eminent transport expert expressed doubt whether all this will be able to keep the highway in good health. He pointed to substandard work on some parts of the highway and continuous overloading.

“The highway has gone through regular maintenance after its formal opening. Now it would go for rehabilitation. This is unexpected,” Prof Shamsul Haque, former director of Accident Research Institute at Buet, told The Daily Star on September 8.

Reports of Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the planning ministry and a special committee of Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) also shed lights on the poorly-planned construction work.

Besides, the highway has no separate lane for slow-moving vehicles, and the absence of underpass or foot bridge on important points increase the risk of road crashes, according to an IMED report.

EARLY DAMAGE

To speed up traffic flow between the capital and the port city, RHD went for the project covering the stretch from Cumilla’s Daudkandi to Chattogram City Gate, costing Tk 2,168 crore. The project was supposed to be implemented between 2006 and 2012.

But the physical work of the project started in 2010 with the project amended thrice raising the cost to Tk 3,439 crore -- which means 58 percent cost escalation.

To deal with the pressure of vehicles and minimise people’s sufferings, the highway was opened in some sections since 2013 before its formal completion in June 2017.

In October last year, the RHD proposed another Tk 900-crore project for maintenance as 10-12mm deep ruts had developed on the fast lanes of the highway. Small cracks and potholes have also appeared at several points, said a report of IMED last year.

Following the planning ministry’s recommendation, RTHD in January this year formed a committee to visit the highway and give suggestions.

The government allocated Tk 793 crore for repair and maintenance against the proposal for Tk 900 crore based on the recommendation of this committee. 

NO FEASIBILITY STUDY

In its final report on effect evaluation released in June this year, IMED said no feasibility study was conducted before taking up the project and there was weakness in the process of DPP formulation resulting in several amendments and cost escalation.

The report said the project failed to make proper traffic forecast.

In 2006, the highway was designed forecasting six percent traffic growth. But it is more than 10 percent traffic growth this year.

The report also said the surface of the highway was constructed taking 10.2 tonnes as the maximum load for two-axle vehicles (six wheelers), which is much lower than the government-set limit of 15 tonnes.

The previous IMED report, which was released last year, said about 32,000 vehicles used the highway every day. During the launch of the project in 2006, the authorities estimated 16,485 vehicles would use it daily.

OVERLOADING ‘LEGITIMISED’

An RHD official working in its road design circle, said poor forecast about traffic may be a factor behind the early damage but the main reason was continuous overloading.

“Overloading was major problem for the highway but the government decision to increase the maximum weight limit of goods-laden vehicles worsened the situation as it gave overloading a sort of legitimacy,” he said, wishing anonymity.

At present, two-axle vehicles (six wheels) can carry maximum 22 tonnes, three-axle vehicles (10 wheels) maximum 30 tonnes and four-axle (14 wheels) maximum 44 tonnes all over the country.

However, as per the global standards, the limits are 15.5, 22 and 32 tonnes respectively.

The authorities for the first-time had imposed fines for overloading in August 2016. But on the very first day, transport owners and workers damaged the weighbridges in Manikganj and Chattogram.

The government was then forced to increase the maximum weight limit of goods-laden vehicles from November 2017. Two of the three existing weighbridges are situated at two points of Dhaka-Chattogram highway. 

IMED, in its latest report, also mentioned that the existing load limit is not consistent with the international standard. Besides, in many cases, heavily loaded vehicles are being operated giving fine, it said.

Talking to The Daily Star on September 2, Nazrul Islam, secretary of the division, said the maximum weigh limit was increased in a “special situation”. Vehicles carrying even 40 tonnes of goods had operated on roads, but now the highest limit is 22 tonnes.

“But it is not for an infinitive period. We will maintain the international standards once the new weighbridges are established. We will also bring down the maximum limits to 16 tonnes for the existing ones.”

The RTHD-formed committee, led by Zakir Hossain, joint chief of the division, also recommended controlling overloading following global standard.

A member of the committee also said the wearing course (60mm top layer) of the highway was mainly damaged because the bitumen, which was used for highway, cannot bear such load capacity.

He added that 60-70-grade bitumen was used for the highway. “Modified bitumen is used worldwide if the highway has to bear more than 50 million axle loads.”

Transport expert Prof Shamsul Haque, however, said like overloading, failure to ensure quality construction is also a problem for the highway.

The highway was not damaged equally everywhere, means the sections that lack quality works were damaged. So overloading and poor traffic forecasting should not be blamed squarely, he said.

“The government can stop overloading if it wants but there are faults in the construction. So, there is doubt whether maintenance will be affective,” said Prof Shamsul.

WHAT RHD SAYS?

Talking to this correspondent on September 15, RHD’s Chief Engineer Ebne Alam Hasan said overloading is one of the main reasons behind the early damage of the highway.

The highway was designed with 98 million standard axle load capacity for 10 years, but the limit crossed within three years, he said. “The traffic growth is higher than we have assumed.”

Asked about the issue of feasibility, Ebne Alam, also the project director between February 2012 and December 2015, said, “It is a fact that no feasibility study was done [before the project]. But I don’t know why.”

The chief engineer, however, refuted allegations of substandard work on some parts of the highway.