Bangabandhu Tunnel: Tk4.11 crore in toll collected in first month
After its inauguration, more than 1.74 lakh vehicles made their way through the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel within the first month, contributing to a total toll collection of Tk4,11,37,350.
On average, 5,829 vehicles utilised the country's first underwater tunnel each day, Toll Manager Md Belayet Hossain said on Wednesday (29 November).
"Since the opening of the Bangabandhu tunnel to traffic at 6:00am on 29 October, some 1,74,871 vehicles have crossed through until midnight on 28 November. During this period, toll collection amounted to Tk4,11,37,350 with a daily average of Tk13,71,274."
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A 2013 survey estimated the tunnel's capacity at 6.3 million vehicles annually, with a projection of 1.39 crore vehicles by 2030, excluding the current year, half of which are expected to be cargo vehicles.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the nation's first underwater tunnel on 28 October, allowing passage for 12 categories of vehicles.
The toll ranges from Tk 200 to Tk 1,000, while motorcycles or three-wheelers are prohibited.
Following the inauguration, Tk 12,13,300 was collected as toll, as 5,429 vehicles used the tunnel on the first day it opened to traffic (29 October).
On the second day, some 3,205 vehicles went through the tunnel and Tk 7.1 lakh was collected as toll.
The nearly 10km-long tunnel, including the approach road, was constructed beneath river Karnaphuli between Patenga and Anwara upazila at a cost of Tk10,374 crore.
It connects the proposed Asian Highway with Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway by reducing the distance by 40km.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the construction site of the Karnaphuli Tunnel on October 14, 2017.
On 24 February 2019, Sheikh Hasina also inaugurated the tunnel boring phase.
The multilane tunnel route passes through the river close to Navy College on one side and Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) and Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO) on the other.
