PM Hasina opens country’s first-ever expressway
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday inaugurated the country’s first-ever expressway on Jatrabari-Mawa and Patchchar-Bhanga routes to traffic opening up a new era in the communication sector on the eve of ‘Mujib Borsho’ (Year).
The prime minister formally opened the newly-constructed expressway under the Dhaka-Khulna Highway Project through a video-conference from her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital this morning.
The 55-km long expressway having all the modern facilities was constructed to reduce travel time as well as to ensure smooth journey of the people of 22 southwestern districts.
The international standard eight-lane expressway having four main lanes and four service lanes for low-speed vehicles will connect the country’s southwestern part with the capital. This will save travel time and facilitate smooth and uninterrupted vehicles movement.
According to the project details, the expressway has five flyovers, 19 underpasses, four railway overpasses, 25 bridges, four main bridges, 54 culverts, and two inter-changes.
The 25 bridges were constructed in Khulna-Barishal-Gopalganj zone under the Western Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project.
It has two parts stretching 35-kilometre from Jatrabari intersection to Mawa and 20-kilometre from Pancchar to Bhanga.
The expressway is expected to contribute significantly to the overall development of the entire Khulna and Barishal divisions and a part of Dhaka division as it will strengthen connectivity between the Dhaka city and the country’s Southwestern part.
People from 22 districts of the country’s southwestern region including six districts in Barishal division, 10 districts in Khulna and six districts in Dhaka will directly be benefited from this expressway.
The two parts of the modern expressway will be connected through the 6.15- kilometre long Padma Bridge, which is now under construction. The bridge is likely to be opened for traffic by June 2021.
The expressway has been constructed on Dhaka-Khulna highway with an estimated cost of Tk 110.03 billion taking the growing traffic volume into consideration for the next 20 years on this highway.
The Roads and Highways Department and Bangladesh Army jointly started construction works of the expressway project in four districts - Dhaka, Munshiganj, Madaripur and Faridpur - in 2016.
The scheme was completed three months before the stipulated time frame of June 2020.
There is a 2.3-km Kadamtali-Babu Bazaar link road flyover among five flyovers under the expressway project. Other four flyovers are in Abdullahpur, Srinagar, Puliabazar and Maligram.
The expressway has four railway bridges in Zurain, Kuchiamora, Srinagar and Atadi, and four large bridges that included 363-metre Dhaleswari-1, 591-metre Dhaleswari-2, 466-metre Arial Khan and 136-metre Kumar bridge.
A documentary on the benefits of constructing the overpass was also screened.
Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader and chief of Army Staff general Aziz Ahmed spoke on the occasion.
Railways minister Nurul Islam Sujan, PM’s political adviser HT Imam, state minister for women and children affair Fazilatun Nessa Indira were present.
PM’s principal secretary Ahmad Kaikaus moderated the function while secretary of road transport and highways division Md. Nazrul Islam gave a brief presentation on the expressway.