Govt eying for Tk 71,850cr Dhaka-Chattogram highway improvement project

The government has envisages a plan to improve the 232 kilometre long vital Dhaka-Chattogram highway with an estimated cost of Taka 71,850.46 crore aimed at strengthening road safety, reducing road accidents, traffic jam, risks and thus giving a momentum to the country’s economy. 

“The government has initiated a move to prepare the draft project to construct a 232.76 kilometre (elevated expressway) highway aimed at ensuring smooth traffic connecting Dhaka to Chattogram,” Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division Dr Mohammed Ziaul Haque told BSS today (15 August).

He said the ministry has been trying for possible funding sources, whatever it will be the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or other lending agencies, for the country’s most important trade and transport corridor.

When contacted, Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Md Moniruzzaman told BSS that the Planning commission has already approved the Preliminary Development Project Proposal (PDDP) in principle and thus sent it to the Economic Relations Division (ERD) for sourcing the potential financiers to materialize this important corridor.

The road transport and highways division has proposed the Taka 71,850.46 crore project to construct the existing Dhaka-Chattogram highway into a six-lane, access-controlled one with service lanes on both sides, according to the draft preliminary project details.

It said the ministry prepared a preliminary development project proposal (PDPP) under the proposal of “Dhaka-Chattogram Highway Improvement Project” fixing the implementation period from January 2027 to 2032.

The details said the proposed six lane elevated expressway will connect Chattogram Port, export processing zone (EPZ) and economic zone (EZ) with the capital which will strengthen sub-regional and international connectivity alongside accelerating economic growth by boosting trade, investment and industrial activities.

The government will finance Taka 16,770.07 crore of the total project cost while the remaining Taka 55,080.39 crore is expected to come from external sources in the form of project loans, according to the PDPP, which was submitted to the planning commission.

According to the proposal, the project’s major components include land acquisition, compensation and resettlement, road construction, structures and foundations, toll plazas, intelligent transport systems (ITS), toll collection systems, utility relocation and construction supervision services.

According to the PDPP, the proposal kept an estimated Taka 3,590.55 crore for land acquisition, Taka 1,479.32 crore for compensation and resettlement, Taka 1,316.73 crore for construction site management, maintenance, engineering supervision and quality-control facilities, Taka 24,700.13 crore for road works covering 232.76 kilometres, Taka 35,179.21 crore for structure including foundation works, Taka 125.61 crore for construction of four major toll plazas and 100 satellite toll plazas, Taka 1,028.68 crore for intelligent transport systems, optical fibre communication networks and toll collection systems, Taka 578.62 crore for construction supervision consulting service, Taka 1,237.50 crore for utility shifting and relocation and Taka 2,092.73 crore as physical and price contingencies.

Officials said the project would create a modern transport corridor through access control, improved traffic management and enhanced road safety measures.

The proposal also emphasises the construction of elderly-women-children-and differently abled (EWCD) friendly facilities to ensure safer and more inclusive mobility.

The Dhaka-Chattogram highway is widely regarded as the country’s most important economic corridor, linking the capital with the main seaport and major industrial hubs.

The proposed upgrade is expected to improve freight movement, lower transportation costs and support long-term growth in trade, investment and industrial development.