Dhaka-Ctg. expressway construction project shelved again

[bluesky]

Dhaka-Chattogram expressway project put on the back burner
Munima Sultana | Published: July 13, 2019 11:17:54 | Updated: July 13, 2019 13:30:04

A representational image

The Dhaka-Chattogram expressway project in the country's prime corridor has been shelved again even after completing necessary preparatory work involving Tk 970 million in last six years.

Sources said Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has dropped the public-private partnership (PPP) project from its list of yearly projects even though it completed detailed design after finding a corridor feasible for establishing the controlled-access highway.

They said the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) directed the department to go slow with the US$ 4.14-billion project as the Prime Minister has given her consent to development of high-speed railway in the Dhaka-Chattogram corridor instead of establishment of an expressway.

She has given priority to building high-speed railway as the existing Dhaka-Chattogram highway is now functioning well after widening work recently, sources said.

Another source said the PM's directive to stop implementing the expressway project was given to overlap with the high-speed train network as it will have to use the same route of expressway up to Cumilla from Dhaka.

The RHD took the initiative to develop a 214-kilometre expressway in 2013, taking into account huge traffic on the corridor due to its location between the capital Dhaka and port city of Chattogram.

It later took loan amounting to Tk 690 million from the Asian Development Bank to carry out a feasibility study and detailed design work under a technical project which concluded last year.

According to the project office, RHD is now preparing tender document with financial support of PPP Authority to select concessionaire for the construction of the expressway.

According to the plan, entire 218-kilometre highway would have both surface and elevated road with seven interchanges to ensure 100km speed of vehicles for reaching end destinations in two hours.

At detailed design stage in 2016, the RHD project was first halted for one and a half years after Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) placed a proposal to develop entire 200-kilometre expressway in elevated way with the provision of high-speed train.

Though detailed design of the proposed alignment was carried out on approval from the Prime Minister, she, however, signed the BBA proposal to carry out the feasibility study on elevated expressway with high-speed train.

The RHD project faced another blow when the finance ministry rejected it on the grounds that there was no need of the scheme just after the Dhaka-Chattogram four-lane project was completed.

Engineers and experts said the demand for controlled- access highway on the country's economic corridor would not fade away with setting up of high-speed train or expansion of existing highway corridor.

They said this is right time to start the work of expressway to cope with increasing traffic on the corridor known as the economic lifeline due to its connectivity with the port city and its location in between Asian Highway.

According to sources, the Dhaka-Chattogram highway was used by 35,000 vehicles daily in 2012 when the expressway was planned.

They said traffic flow on the highway has now increased three times. The capacity of the existing highway would be lost by 2025 if necessary steps are not taken by the authority concerned.

More than 90 per cent of goods are transported through the Dhaka-Chattogram corridor.

ASM Elias Shah, director of the Dhaka-Chattogram expressway project, told the FE that they are still continuing with the work.

"The PPP project is always slow project. But it is still on the track," he added.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/...way-project-put-on-the-back-burner-1562995074

 

[Nike]

Expressway can be used to transport bulk of people and goods to complement the existing Highways and railway systems , meanwhile HST is should be not a priority for a while instead normalized the existing railway systems there and increasing their freight capacity (building double double track) should be a priority

 

[bluesky]

Expressway can be used to transport bulk of people and goods to complement the existing Highways and railway systems , meanwhile HST is should be not a priority for a while instead normalized the existing railway systems there and increasing their freight capacity (building double track) should be a priority

Our Golden Bangladesh ministers incessantly talk about building Dhaka-Ctg. Bullet Train Lines instead of converting the current line to a double track one. Cargo movement via railway is less expensive, less time consuming and less troublesome than doing so on the Expressways. Building an expressway will cost a few billion dollars. The double tracking can be made with one-tenth of that.

Actually, our people are not serious and they cannot just do anything through proper Planning. They love to talk flips in the morning and flops in the evening. Most of their talks are a hoax.

 

[Black_cats]

Our Golden Bangladesh ministers incessantly talk about building Dhaka-Ctg. Bullet Train Lines instead of converting the current line to a double track one. Cargo movement via railway is less expensive, less time consuming and less troublesome than doing so on the Expressways. Building an expressway will cost a few billion dollars. The double tracking can be made with one-tenth of that.

Actually, our people are not serious and they cannot just do anything through proper Planning. They love to talk flips in the morning and flops in the evening. Most of their talks are a hoax.

Dhaka Chittagong highway is already a 4 lane highway:

 

[Homo Sapiens]

Another source said the PM's directive to stop implementing the expressway project was given to overlap with the high-speed train network as it will have to use the same route of expressway up to Cumilla from Dhaka.

The RHD took the initiative to develop a 214-kilometre expressway in 2013, taking into account huge traffic on the corridor due to its location between the capital Dhaka and port city of Chattogram.

This is actually very good decision. Expressway will cost many billions as well as eat up huge amount of fertile agricultural land. What we currently need is quadruple track of Dhaka-Chattogram rail line. Two for passenger and two for dedicated freight rails. We also need to convert existing 4 lane highways into 8 lane highways, 6 lane for fast moving vehicles and 2 separate service lane for slow moving vehicles. If we can do these, it will be more passenger friendly, more goods can be move more cheaply and we will not need any costly expressway by destroying a lot of farmland.

 

[Nike]

Dhaka Chittagong highway is already a 4 lane highway:

In the long run it will be inadequate, as economy will progress there is growth of communities along the highways routes and there is chance for new urban area coming along with new sources of traffic jam. Expressway will alleviate such burden as they are exclusive roads system and giving people much choices for the routes

 

[bluesky]

Dhaka Chittagong highway is already a 4 lane highway:

I sincerely wish you understand the difference between Expressway and highway.

 

[TopCat]

This is actually very good decision. Expressway will cost many billions as well as eat up huge amount of fertile agricultural land. What we currently need is quadruple track of Dhaka-Chattogram rail line. Two for passenger and two for dedicated freight rails. We also need to convert existing 4 lane highways into 8 lane highways, 6 lane for fast moving vehicles and 2 separate service lane for slow moving vehicles. If we can do these, it will be more passenger friendly, more goods can be move more cheaply and we will not need any costly expressway by destroying a lot of farmland.

I dont think 4/6 lane highways can serve the future high speed travel. For that we need access control non stop expressway. The design is completely different.

 

[bluesky]

This is actually very good decision. Expressway will cost many billions as well as eat up huge amount of fertile agricultural land. What we currently need is quadruple track of Dhaka-Chattogram rail line. Two for passenger and two for dedicated freight rails. We also need to convert existing 4 lane highways into 8 lane highways, 6 lane for fast moving vehicles and 2 separate service lane for slow moving vehicles. If we can do these, it will be more passenger friendly, more goods can be move more cheaply and we will not need any costly expressway by destroying a lot of farmland.

Please do not chew what you cannot really swallow. Just double tracks with a few kms of four-track here and there to pass the express and/or goods trains would be good enough. As not all trains run with the same time table, a freight train would be able to overtake a passenger train via a separate line at certain stations. So, some of the stations may have three or four tracks.

 

[Homo Sapiens]

I dont think 4/6 lane highways can serve the future high speed travel. For that we need access control non stop expressway. The design is completely different.

For future high speed travel, high speed train will be used mainly. If we can divert slow moving vehicles to separate service lane, and bulk goods transportation by freight trains then the car, passenger bus speed in a 6 lane highway would not be much lower compared to expressway.

 

[bluesky]

For future high speed travel, high speed train will be used mainly. If we can divert slow moving vehicles to separate service lane, and bulk goods transportation by freight trains then the car, passenger bus speed in a 6 lane highway would not be much lower compared to expressway.

You are correct. But, everything must come in the proper sequence. A time will certainly come when the country will build expressway networks throughout the land. But, it may not be needed today when some prior works have not been accomplished so far.

In the case of the present or expanded (6-lane) Dhaka-Ctg highway, it is imperative that three-wheelers are denied access to them. There must be separate local roads to accompany them. It will cause a faster movement of trucks and will lessen accidents.