Upgraded research, training facility for RHD on the way

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is finally getting an upgraded research and training facility, much-needed given the volume of projects the government agency implements and the upkeep needed of the existing sprawling network.

At present, the department only has Bangladesh Road Research Laboratory (BRRL), spread over 41 acres of land in the capital's Mirpur area, with separate sections for laboratory tests, soil investigation and quality control.

But the workforce and testing apparatuses at the facility is inadequate, leaving the RHD dependent on Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology for complex tests, according to officials.

The state of the training centre is worse due to severe workforce shortage, said an RHD executive engineer, on condition of anonymity to speak candidly on the matter.

"The centre is running with less than 10 people. As a technical department, the training facilities should be robust," he added.

In this given situation, consultants under another RHD project titled "Technical Assistant for Sub-Regional Road Transport Project Preparatory Facility" had recommended bringing the BRRL and training centre together under a new wing and create a "Centre of Excellence", shows RHD document.

In the first phase of the project under one of the 11 packages of SASEC Road Connectivity Project-2, funded by the Asian Development Bank, a Road Research and Training Centre (RRTC) will be set up on 14 acres inside the BRRL's complex at a cost of Tk 251.6 crore.

The cabinet committee on government purchase on Thursday approved a proposal for appointing a contractor for the works.

As per the proposal, the complex will be constructed by the National Development Engineers within two and a half years.

Apart from the one-year "defect liability period", the contractor will have to provide maintenance for three more years, officials said.

A defect liability period is a specified period after completion of a construction project during which the contractor may have to return to the site to fix defects.

"We hope the construction work will start within three to four months," Project Director Waliur Rahman told The Daily Star on Thursday.

There would be residential facilities for about 160 trainees, a six-storey main office for the research centre, a six-story training centre, a three-story testing laboratory building and a two-story welfare building, shows documents.

Once the first phase is implemented, there would be a 150-member workforce for the centre, according to Rahman.

After completing all three phases, the workforce will comprise 400 employees, he said, adding that foreign trainers would be brought if necessary.

According to  RHD, there are 22,428 kilometres of national and regional highways and district roads under the department across the country.

Besides, there are some 4,400 bridges, 15,000 culverts and 43 ferries under its network.