18 Key Road, Rail Projects: Physical work to go on amid lockdown

Physical works of 18 major infrastructure projects under the road and rail sectors will continue amid the ongoing seven-day "strict lockdown" aiming to meet their fresh deadlines.

All but the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project are being implemented with foreign funds. Deadlines of 15 of the projects have already been revised at least one or more times.

Officials involved with the projects said physical works of almost all projects remained halted for more than two months after the government had announced "shutdown" in March last year to contain the spread of Covid-19.

When the authorities were trying to revive the momentum of the project works, a second wave of the pandemic hit the country in March, slowing down the progress of the works.

The government now wants to continue these major projects, maintaining necessary health safety guidelines, the officials added.

The railways ministry on Wednesday issued an order to continue development works of six "public interest projects of the state", being implementing by Bangladesh Railway, following necessary health safety guidelines.

All the people involved with the projects have to keep identity cards with them and the authorities concerned have to submit their lists to the police department, reads the letter, issued following the directives of the Cabinet Division.

The six projects are: Padma Bridge Rail Link Project; Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Rail Link; Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge; Construction of Akhaura-Laksham Double Line; Khulna-Mongla Rail Link; and Dhaka-Tongi Rail Line Expansion Project. Of the six, the first two are among the government's eight fast-track projects.

The BR is now implementing a total of 41 projects.

All the six projects are being implemented with foreign funds and their deadlines have already been extended at least once.

Meanwhile, Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) has asked Roads and Highways Department (RHD) to continues eight foreign-aided projects amid the "strict lockdown".

The RHD is now implementing some 200 projects.

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, RHD Chief Engineer Abdus Sabur said, "We have been asked to continue eight projects. The other projects will remain halted for now."

The eight projects are: Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project, under which a dedicated bus line (Bus Rapid Transit) are being implemented from Dhaka airport to Gazipur; SASEC Road Connectivity Project-1 and 2, under which roads from Joydebpur in Gazipur to Rangapur are being expanded to four lanes; Cross Border Road Network Improvement Project (CBRNIP) ; Western Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project; Payra Bridge (popularly known as Lebukhali Bridge) Project; 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge in Pirojpur; and expansion of Ashuganj River Port to Akhaura Land Port Road.

All the projects are being implemented with foreign fund and deadlines of all but one -- CBRNIP -- have been extended at least for once, shows documents.

The work of the country's first-ever metro rail, formally known as Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 (MRT Line-6), will continue amid the "strict lockdown". This correspondent found works were going on in Farmgate area yesterday.

"We will continue our works maintaining health safety guidelines," MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd, the implementing agency of the project, told The Daily Star yesterday.

MRT Line-6 is being implemented from Uttara Third Phase to Motijheel at the cost of Tk 22,000 crore with Japanese loan.

The project witnessed 67.63 percent progress till June. The original deadline of the project is June 2024, but the authority has a plan for commissioning the project in December this year.

Failing to meet the deadline mainly due to pandemic, the authority is now planning to make first phase -- Uttara to Agargaon -- operational from June next year.

Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) will continue physical works of three projects -- Padma Bridge, Bangabandhu Tunnel and Dhaka Elevated Expressway -- amid lockdown, Bridge Division Secretary Abu Bakr Siddique, said.

They will also continue works of their part in BRT project, he told this newspaper yesterday.

The long-cherished Padma bridge project has witnessed 86 percent progress till May this year and the government has announced to open the 6.15km bridge to traffic in June next year after revision of deadlines several times.

The BBA is implementing the First Dhaka Elevated Expressway project under public-private-partnership method.

After missing several deadlines due to delay in land acquisition and managing fund by the private partner, the works of the project gained momentum in February last year.

The 47km expressway, with 19.73km main line, is being implemented from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali.

Bangabandhu Tunnel under the Karnaphuli river witnessed 69 percent progress till May this year and is schedule to be completed within December next year.