Elevated expressway: Tk 1.85m collected from 22,805 vehicles in 24hrs

A total of 22,805 vehicles crossed the Dhaka Elevated Expressway within the first 24 hours of its inauguration.

By this time Tk 1.85 million was collected as the toll from the first ever expressway in the country, said sources in the bridges division.

Of the vehicles, 12,242 travelled from the airport to Kamal Ataturk Avenue, Mohakhali, and Farmgate, and 5,246 vehicles travelled from Tejgaon via Mohakhali, Kamal Ataturk Avenue to Kuril.

2,892 vehicles used the expressway to travel from Banani to Kuril and 2,425 travelled from Kuril to Farmgate via Kamal Ataturk and  Mohakhali.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the much-awaited 11.5-km Dhaka Elevated Expressway's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport-Farmgate section for traffic. The expressway was opened to traffic Sunday.

In the first day’s experience, the vehicles were seen crossing the expressway within a few minutes but waiting in traffic after getting off. Increased traffic jams were seen in Tejgaon and Farmgate areas yesterday. Heavy traffic congestion was seen at the expressway's exit point in Indira Road near Farmgate Sunday morning. The traffic jam exacerbated further in the evening.

Bridges division officials said most of the vehicles using the expressway on the first day were private cars. Trucks and buses were few and far between.

The bridges division implemented the expressway. 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. The cost of the project is estimated at Tk 89.40 billion.

The First Dhaka Elevated Expressway (FDEE) Company Ltd is the investor company. Italian Thai Development Public Company Ltd has 51 per cent shares, China Shandong International Economic and Technical Co-operation Group (CSI) holds 34 per cent while Sinohydro Corporation Ltd 15 per cent shares.

The toll rate for car, taxi, jeep, sports utility vehicle, microbus (below 16 seats) and light truck (below 3 tonnes) for crossing the airport-Farmgate section from any point is Tk 80.

The toll rate for medium trucks (up to six wheels) for crossing the route from any point is Tk 320.

For trucks (over six wheels), the toll rate for crossing the route from any point is Tk 400. The toll rate for any bus (16 seated or above) for crossing the route from any point is Tk 160.