Bangabandhu tunnel: Scanners costing Tk 3b to be installed
The construction of the Bangabandhu Tunnel, the country's first communication route under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram, is nearly complete. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the tunnel on 28 October, and traffic will commence the following day. In preparation for the inauguration, the installation of scanners at each end of the tunnel is currently underway.
Engineers involved in the tunnel's project initially had no plans to install scanners at either end during the initial construction stages. However, as the deadline approached, it was decided, for security reasons, to install scanners at both ends of the tunnel - one at Patenga and one at Anwara - to check vehicles before they enter the tunnel. It has been determined that four scanners will be installed, with two at each end. An approximate cost of Tk three billion will be incurred for these four scanners.
Project Director Harunur Rashid Chowdhury informed Prothom Alo on Wednesday that the installation of two scanners will be completed before the tunnel opens. The remaining two scanners are expected to arrive in the country next month and will be installed shortly thereafter.
According to the bridge authority, these scanners will be used to inspect heavy goods vehicles passing through the tunnel. Both the driver and the product-holding section will be tested using different color beams. The scanning process for each vehicle is expected to take a maximum of two minutes.
Each scanner measures approximately 50 meters in length and 10 meters in width, and weigh 13 tonnes each. These scanners are being imported from England.
The country's first tunnel was named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction of this project on 24 February 2019. The Bangladesh Bridge Authority is overseeing the implementation of this project, with the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCCL) serving as the contractor.
The company is responsible for maintenance and toll collection. Approximately Tk 106.89 billion is currently being invested in the construction of the tunnel, connecting Patenga in Chattogram city on one end and Anwara upazila on the other.
The length of the tunnel is 3.32 km, and it is situated 18 to 31 meters below the riverbed. It will take 3 to 3.5 minutes to pass through the tunnel. The maximum allowable speed for cars inside the tunnel is 80 km/h, but the speed may be slightly reduced in the beginning.
According to the Feasibility Study Report, an average of 17,374 vehicles will travel through the tunnel every day from the first year of operation, including 3,218 heavy vehicles. This number is expected to increase in the subsequent years.
Meanwhile, vehicles carrying goods are subject to scanning, while a separate testing system is in place for other vehicles, including cars, microbuses, and buses passing through the tunnel.
An Undervehicle Scanning System (UVSS) will be employed as an alternative to the scanner. UVSS enables the inspection of the lower parts of vehicles, including trucks, buses, microbuses, and cars, to detect the presence of explosive devices by capturing images.
An official from the bridge authority mentioned that the installation of scanners was not initially included in the first Development Project Proposal (DPP) for the tunnel.
However, in the subsequent revised DPP, the decision was made to install eight scanners. Nevertheless, no provisions were made for this in the project's original budget. Instead, the China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) Limited, responsible for toll collection and maintenance, is overseeing the installation of these scanners, and the associated costs will be covered by the government.
*This report, originally appeared in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat