65km circular road in Dhaka likely next year

The government is planning to implement a 65km long and 55.8 metre wide 4-lane circular road with all modern facilities in the western part of the capital.

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD), of the road transport and bridges ministry, has already carried out the feasibility study and submitted a proposed development project plan (PDPP) titled 'Circular Road-Part-2' to the planning division.

The estimated cost of the project is Tk 121.25 billion.

Officials hope that the project would get the ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council) nod next fiscal year.

According to the PDPP, the proposed road would start at Abdullahpur and end in Dhaka’s Demra via Dhour, Gabtali, Bosila, Sowarighat, Chunkutia, Postagola, Chashara and Shimrail of Narayanganj.

The road will mainly go along the existing Abdullahpur to Babubazar road, known as the Dhaka Metropolitan Embankment Road, implemented by RHD in the early 2000s.

Cost and components

Out of the total estimated cost of Tk. 121.25 billion, about half would be spent for around 61.8 hectares of land acquisition and related tasks. A Development Project Plan (DPP) is being prepared by RHD for this purpose.

The proposed circular road will have four service lanes, a 10-meter wide lane dedicated for MRT line and 3.5-meter space for bus bays in parts of the road, according to PDPP.

The officials said the road will be a modern one with a ‘utility-duct’ for water, electricity and gas lines and a footpath stretching 87 kilometers. The utility duct would not require digging up the road.

A roads and highways department official said that there would be two bridges along the road, one at Sowarighat and another at Postagola, stretching 1,435 metres.

Vehicles will run without any interruption due to sufficient numbers of u-loops, overpasses and underpasses, the RHD official added.

Advantages

A huge number of people will get advantage once the road is implemented, said the RHD official.

Currently, Gazipur and Manikganj bound passengers from Sadarghat need to use airport or Mirpur road which adds to traffic congestion and more travel time. Once the circular road is implemented, travel time and fare will be reduced from 50 to 100 per cent, concerned persons of the department claimed.

Project progress

The roads and highways department is expecting foreign funds for implementation of the project, said Mohammad Mehedi Iqbal, executive engineer of the department’s Dhaka district office.

He said, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has already shown interest to fund this project but it is yet to be finalised.

The project would be implemented in three phases by domestic funds if foreign funds are not available, Mehedi said.

He hoped that the project would start from the next fiscal year.