Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the opening of Dhaka Elevated Expressway is another milestone in the country’s communication sector and it would play a significant role in reducing traffic congestion.
“This (Dhaka Elevated Expressway) is a new milestone in the communication sector. I have inaugurated Dhaka Elevated Expressway PPP Project’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Farmgate portion. Work on its remaining portion will be completed soon,” she told a rally at the Old Trade Fair Ground at Agargaon after the formal inaugural.
The Prime Minister said she has given the expressway as a gift to residents of Dhaka and the people across the country, adding that it would play a great role in developing communication between the capital and the rest of the country. “The long standing expectation of the residents of Dhaka has been fulfilled with the opening of the expressway. The expressway will play a great role in reducing traffic jams significantly,” she said.
Dhaka north and south localities that included Shahjalal International Airport, Kuril, Mohakhali, Tejgaon,Farmgate, Moghbazar and Kamlapur will witness huge progress in reducing traffic gridlock, she opined. The Prime Minister extended her heartfelt thanks to all concerned involved in building the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
She inaugurated the much-awaited Dhaka Elevated Expressway’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport-Farmgate section for traffic by unveiling the inaugural plaque at the Old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar this afternoon. PM’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana was present on the occasion. A munajat was later offered seeking divine blessings for the welfare of the country and its people.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, MP, and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, MP, spoke on the occasion. Dhaka South and North City Corporations Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Atiqul Islam, lawmaker from Dhaka-17 constituency Mohammad A Arafat and Road Transport and Bridges Affairs Ministry’s parliamentary standing committee Chairman Rawshan Ara Mannan were present on the dais while Secretary of the Bridges Division Md. Monjur Hossain gave the address of welcome. Sheikh Hasina earlier unveiled the nameplate of the expressway at Kawla end of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport here. A munajat was later offered. The Prime Minister was the first person who paid toll on the expressway after driving through it to and off Farmgate.
The Road Transport and Bridges Minister received Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana with flower bouquets on their arrival at the Kawla and Old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar ends. After the inauguration, the colorful balloons were released at the Kawla site. After opening the expressway at Kawla end, the premier departed for the Old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to attend a civic rally marking the grand opening of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway in the afternoon. The Airport-Farmgate section will be opened to traffic tomorrow, the next day of the formal inauguration, officials said. The length of this section is about 11.5 km. The total length of the elevated expressway is 46.73km covering Kawla, Kuril, Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Kamalapur, Sayedabad, Jatrabari to Kutubkhali on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. There are 15 ramps for boarding. Out of these, two ramps at Banani and Mohakhali will remain closed for the time being. Initially, 13 out of 15 ramps in this part will be opened. The ramps at Banani and Mohakhali will be opened once their construction is complete.
Initially, the speed limit on the expressway will be 60km per hour and vehicles need 10 minutes to travel the 11km distance from the HSIA to Farmgate. Three wheelers, bicycles and pedestrians will not be allowed to move on the expressway, while motorbikes cannot run on it right now. The total expenditure of the project is estimated at Taka 8,940 crore, while the viability gap funding is Taka 2,413 crore, which will be provided by the Bangladesh government.
Construction of the second phase Banani Railway Station to Moghbazar Railway Crossing is progressing fast. Sheikh Hasina, also President of the Awami League, said they have already proved that it has been possible to change the fortune of the people by working for their welfare with dignity and confidence. The Prime Minister vowed that Bangladesh will march towards prosperity confronting all the odds that include killing and arson terrorism alongside conquering every sort of fear such as the so-called movement to thwart the government and declaration of the USA visa policy for Bangladesh. Pointing finger at the BNP, she said they are talking about movement for revival of democracy though the party was formed undemocratically which was declared illegal by the apex court. She questioned: “How the party which was formed undemocratically can give democracy?” The AL Chief said many people have become a little bit panicked seeing movement to dislodge the government and subsequent declaration of the US visa policy for Bangladesh.
“I want to clear one thing – the soil is ours and we made the country independent under the leadership of the Father of the Nation. So, it will bring no benefit to frighten us.” The Prime Minister asked her party leaders and activists and others concerned not to get frightened seeing clouds, saying, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” “The people of Bangladesh will march towards the journey of progress at indomitable pace conquering fear. The boat has always moved against the tide,” she said. She said that the boat, the electoral symbol of the Awami League, has made huge development of Bangladesh, brought the country’s independence and economic emancipation, and transformed Bangladesh into a digital country. “The boat has been working to turn the country into a poverty-and hunger-free “Smart Bangladesh” by 2041 with smart people, smart economy, smart government and smart society,” she said.
The idea of getting from the Airport area to Farmgate in only 10 minutes might have seemed like a distant dream just a few days ago. More often than not, the reality was nothing short of a nightmare, with people getting stuck for hours in what is one of the busiest routes of the city.
But thanks to the highly anticipated First Dhaka Elevated Expressway that is being partially opened on Saturday by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, that sweet dream of a seamless travel for both Dhaka residents and those outside the city is about to become a proud reality, heralding a new dawn in the country’s ever-evolving landscape of transport connectivity.
More significantly, this potential, attributed to the elevated expressway — the first of its kind in Bangladesh and also the country’s largest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project — only scratches the surface.
Several other megaprojects in Dhaka, including the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line-3, and the third terminal at Shahjalal International Airport, are scheduled to become operational by September and October this year. This will translate into even individuals from Gazipur soon being empowered to reach the distant quarters of Motijheel within a span of just over an hour.
Again, specialised bus services from Dhaka Airport to Joydebpur, an integral part of the BRT Line-3 project, are set to commence in September, promising to alleviate the plight of travellers journeying northward.
Once operational, the BRT line will significantly reduce travel time for the 20.5 km journey from Airport to Joydebpur, cutting it down to just 35-40 minutes compared to the current duration of over two hours.
And if we can maintain our patience for a bit longer, we will reap more comprehensive benefits of the First Dhaka Elevated Expressway as well.
Once the entire expanse of it, stretching from the South Kawla point of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway (Kutubkhali), becomes accessible for vehicular movement, it is expected to bring about an enormous socio-economic benefit to the country, by reducing travel time and leading to increased productivity, income, and overall quality of life.
Upon becoming fully operational, the elevated expressway will extend its reach from Kuril to encompass Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Satrasta, Moghbazar Rail Corridor, Khilgaon, Kamalapur, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, and Kutubkhali to the southern edges of the city, originating at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Spanning a distance of 46.73 kilometres, the expressway is composed of a 19.73-kilometre main flyover alongside 27 kilometres of elevated links and ramps. It boasts five interchanges, two elevated links, 15 on-ramps, and 16 off-ramps.
The primary objective underpinning this endeavour is the mitigation of traffic congestion along the north-south corridor, achieved by establishing a vital link between the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway and the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.
The expressway will facilitate enhanced accessibility for trucks during daylight hours to key industrial zones in Dhaka, including Savar, DEPZ, Baipail, Kaliakoir, and Gazipur. This, in turn, will fortify the backward linkage for import-export operations on the international stage and heighten regional connectivity along the Asian Highway corridor.
Furthermore, a channel for passenger bus transit is also integrated into this infrastructure. Although the local public buses might not yet seize upon this opening, inter-district buses stand to benefit.
With complete execution, buses commencing their journey from the districts will gain a direct pathway to Sayedabad Bus Terminal, Narayanganj, and the southern districts, evading the clutches of Dhaka’s traffic bottlenecks.
To augment that, the inclusion of the First Dhaka Elevated Expressway project into the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway, currently in the construction phase, will enhance transportation between Dhaka EPZ and North Bengal as well.
This will establish a smoother connection, as the Airport will link to the Nabinagar intersection via Abdullahpur-Ashulia-Bypass and connect Chandra Junction via EPZ.
