Dhaka Elevated Expressway

Dhaka Elevated Expressway
নাখালপাড়া উড়ালপথ ২০২৩.jpg
Dhaka Elevated Expressway
Route information
Length19.73 km (12.26 mi)
StatusPartially operational (11.5km)
Existed2023; 1 year ago (2023)–present
Location
CountryBangladesh
Highway system
Prime minister's Car passing Dhaka Elevated Expressway
Elevated Expressway side view

Dhaka Elevated Expressway is Bangladesh's first elevated expressway project,[1] which will connect the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with Kutubkhali via Kawla, Kuril, Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Kamalapur, Sayedabad and Jatrabari of Dhaka.[2][3] It is one of the largest infrastructure projects taken up by the incumbent government to ease traffic congestion in the capital.[4] It will be 19.73 km (64,700 ft) long (46.73 km with the connecting ramps)[5] and will cost around ৳122 billion (US$1.1 billion).[3] On September 2, 2023, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ceremoniously opened the Airport-Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway, with her motorcade covering the toll of Tk 2,000 for 25 vehicles.[6] Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 11.5 km Airport-Farmgate section of the 19.73 km Dhaka Elevated Expressway, a pioneering infrastructure project in Bangladesh. This development holds great promise for alleviating traffic congestion and shortening commuting times in the capital city. Commuters were thrilled to be able to cover the distance between Kawla and Farmgate in just 10 minutes, with speeds reaching up to 60 km per hour.[7]

Contracts for the expressway

The Italian-Thai Development Corporation Limited has entered a $1.062 billion[1] contract with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) for building the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.[3]

Developments

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated construction of the expressway on April 30, 2011, with a hope that it will be completed in three and a half years.[3] The 11.5 km Airport- Farmgate segment of the expressway has been completed and is operational since 2 September 2023, and the rest is still under construction. The expressway will cover Kawla, Kuril, Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Kamalapur, Sayedabad, Jatrabari to Qutubkhali on Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Elevated expressway work starting this month: Quader".
  2. ^ "Elevated expressway ushers in new era of connectivity in Dhaka". Dhaka Tribune.
  3. ^ a b c d "Dhaka Elevated Expressway PPP Project". Archived from the original on 2015-01-21.
  4. ^ "Dhaka Expressway: Now Chinese firm on the scene".
  5. ^ "Dhaka Elevated Expressway PPP Project | Bangladesh Bridge Authority". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
  6. ^ Messenger, The Daily. "Traffic jam at landing points as Dhaka Elevated Expressway opens". The Daily Messenger. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  7. ^ Messenger, The Daily. "Elevated expressway a big step towards Smart Bangladesh : Korean Ambassador". The Daily Messenger. Retrieved 2023-09-08.