Expressway work gets underway

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday inaugurated construction of the 21-kilometre Dhaka Elevated Expressway, which is expected to be completed in three and a half years and reduce the capital's traffic congestion.
At a groundbreaking ceremony at the Army Stadium, the premier said her government has undertaken various infrastructure development projects to improve the traffic situation in the capital.
"The expressway, connecting the city's northern and southern parts, is a dream of the people. We'll extend it up to Gazipur in the north and up to Narayanganj in the south in future considering their economic and business importance," she added.
The PM said a plan has been taken to connect Ashulia to the expressway, adding, that pressure on the city will reduce if the expressway can be used as a bypass.
The Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd is constructing the four-lane expressway under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project involving Tk 8,703 crore. Of the amount, the company is providing Tk 6,444.31 crore and the government Tk 2,258.69 crore.
The government however has yet to complete the process of land acquisition and removal of structures from the project route.
The first nine-km segment from airport to Tejgaon will require 96 acres of land, 18 acres of which is owned by private owners. Of the remaining 78 acres, 10 acres belong to the Cantonment Board, four to the Roads and Highways Department and the rest to Bangladesh Railway.
The authorities have to remove 258 structures, which include 16 five-storey and eight six-storey buildings.
The 21-kilometre main expressway route starts from Shahjalal International Airport and runs along the rail alignment through Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar and Kamalapur Railway Station. It then touches Golapbagh, south of Kamalapur stadium, and east of Jatrabari before connecting the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway near Kutubkhali.
The total length of the expressway will be 42 kilometres as it has two elevated links of five kilometres and seven interchanges and 35 ramps of 16 kilometres. Vehicles from different directions will have the options to travel from one place to another.
The first elevated link will connect Manik Mia Avenue-Holy Cross College-Tejgaon Crossing, while the second one will touch Palashi-Kataban-Hatirpul-Hotel Sonargaon (behind)-Moghbazar level crossing. The interchange points are Kuril, Cantonment, Banani, Farmgate, Shaheed Tazuddin Road, Moghbazar and Kamalapur.
There will be 11 toll plazas and toll for end-to-end journey on the expressway will be Tk 125 for cars, jeeps and other light vehicles. The rate will be double for buses, four times for six-wheel trucks, and five times for above six-wheel trucks.
The guaranteed traffic on the expressway is 13,500 vehicles per day, while the traffic transaction ceiling is 80,000 vehicles per day. The revenue sharing will be 25 percent for the government and 75 percent for concessionaire (for exceeding traffic transaction ceiling).
Earlier on January 19, the government inked a concession agreement with the Italian-Thai company for design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the expressway. The concession period will be 25 years including 42 months of construction period.
The cabinet has approved the draft of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway Project (Land Acquisition Act), 2011, an exclusive law to resolve land acquisition-related problems and implement the plan in time.
The communications minister said separate arrangements have been taken in this regard and everything will be done timely.
Bridges Division Secretary Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, special representative of Thai Prime Minister Kiat Sittheeamorn and President of Ital-Thai Company Premchai Karnasuta also spoke on the occasion.
Senior officials of the government and the Armed Forces Division were present.