2 service bridges of Dhaka-Ashulia Expressway opened, who will benefit

Two separate service bridges, spanning 3.71 kilometers from the Dhaur intersection to Ashulia under the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway project, have been opened for traffic.

Around 11:00 AM on Wednesday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam inaugurated them by cutting a ribbon.

The two-lane bridges will not require any toll, and all types of vehicles will be allowed to use them.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Shaikh Rabiul Alam said that at one point, work on the project had come to a standstill.

After taking responsibility, considering the importance of the project, the government allocated necessary funds and took initiatives to accelerate the work.

He said the quality and pace of implementation were satisfactory.

Claiming that 65 to 70 per cent of the project's work has been completed in three and a half years, the Minister said that the work was advanced rapidly by revising the project's duration and scope.

Along with ensuring necessary fund allocation, the revised project was determined considering the national interest. Work on another section will be completed by December, and it is expected that the work on the entire project will be completed within the next year.

Those involved with the project said that once the entire work is completed, the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway will connect the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Abdullahpur on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway, Ashulia, Baipail and the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ). This will create opportunities for fast exit from and entry into the capital.

Additionally, more than 40 million people from 30 districts, including the northern region, will benefit from this expressway. It will play a role in easing traffic congestion, besides making passenger and goods transportation easier and faster.

According to project documents, once the expressway is constructed, it could lead to a 0.217 per cent growth in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

According to the approved second revised DPP, the project's duration is from 1 September 2017 to 30 June 2030. The total estimated cost of the project is Tk 270,456.8 million.

The main physical components of the project include a 24-kilometer elevated expressway, a 10.834-kilometer ramp, a 16.58-kilometer at-grade road, a 4.05-kilometer Baipail trumpet interchange, and two bridges totaling 7.42 kilometers in length.

According to project-related data, the physical progress of the project up to July 2026 is 66 per cent, and the financial progress is 56.02 per cent.

Around 10:00 AM today, the inaugural ceremony was organised at a section of one of the project's bridges, located midway between Ashulia Bazar and the Dhaur area.

Mohammad Abdur Rouf, Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, presided over the ceremony.

State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Rajib Ahsan, Dhaka-19 constituency Member of Parliament Dewan Mohammad Salahuddin, Dhaka-18 constituency Member of Parliament SM Jahangir Hossain, Chi Yue, President of the contracting firm China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC), and Project Director Shafiqul Islam, among others, were present.