Elevated expressway a big step towards Smart Bangladesh: Korean Ambassador

South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Park Young-sik has described the formal opening of the country's first elevated expressway as a big step forward towards becoming a "Smart Bangladesh" and said the Korean government and companies will put in their best efforts to help Bangladesh in its new journey.

"This is another big step forward towards becoming Smart Bangladesh. This is just a starting point for another end. If you start in a very good way, the outcome will also become meaningful," he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday opened the 11.5 km Airport- Farmgate segment of 19.73-km Dhaka Elevated Expressway, the first of its kind in the country, raising high hopes to reduce traffic congestion and commuters' travel time in the capital.

The long-awaited expressway, one of the mega infrastructure projects under the current government, was opened to traffic on Sunday morning and commuters were excited to drive in just 10 minutes to reach Farmgate from Kawla with a speed up to 60 km per hour.

The ambassador visited the office of the N8 Expressway Management, Padma Bridge and other relevant points with the members of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) on Saturday.

He said it was not very easy to understand what Smart Bangladesh means but the automatic toll collection system for the Padma Bridge and other relevant activities helped him understand in a better way how Smart Bangladesh is working.

He said South Korea has become a good partner in the development of Bangladesh and is contributing to its infrastructure development.

Quoting the latest report of World Economics, published in June 2023, the envoy said, Bangladesh has the fastest-growing economy in the Asia-Pacific region out of 32 countries.

"There is a big potential to achieve sustainable economic development," he said, adding that developing infrastructure is the most pressing task for the government.

Ambassador Park said his country will be working with Bangladesh on its journey to a Smart Bangladesh in every possible way.

"So, the target of achieving Smart Bangladesh as a developed nation by 2041 is very meaningful," he said.

The ambassador showed his country's interest to contribute in developing infrastructure in Bangladesh like in the past when Korea helped in developing the readymade garment industry.

Korean officials highlighted the areas of advanced tolling system with an integrated payment and clearance system at N8 Expressway and Padma Bridge as Korea wants to introduce a similar system across Bangladesh covering all tolling points.

Cash Payment

Same as before, but vehicle classification is automated instead of manual. Vehicles that cannot be automatically classified, misclassified, or exempted will be manually classified by eye for the time being

Touch & Go Payment

Until a bank or financial institution is identified to sell or manage it, it can only be used by the user (driver) who has purchased a pre-charged card. The purchased card can be recharged at Toll Booths.

Automatic Fee Collection

A system that collects in cash but automatically classifies vehicles with advanced mechanical and Artificial Intelligence Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) & Object Recognition methodology.

Contributing Benefits

Korea Expressway Corporation's Jinwoo Park said the advanced toll collection systems will bring benefits like increased efficiency, reduced labor costs, lower operational costs, higher revenue collection, real-time data analysis, enhanced security, better customer service, reduced travel time, cost savings

The automatic toll collection system for the Padma Bridge is ready for official inauguration. The Korean Expressway has completed its installation of the "Hi Pass" touch-and-go service in the entry points along with the conventional cash methods.

"We are waiting for the approval from the government," Jinwoo Park said. The Korea Expressway Corporation got the deal last year to operate and manage the expressway.

The N8 Expressway is a 55km, four-lane highway and the first expressway in Bangladesh connecting Dhaka with the Bhanga in the southwest through Padma Bridge.

Under the contract, they will install the Hi Pass automatic toll service and intelligent traffic management systems on the N8 Expressway and conduct toll collection, road and structure maintenance, safety patrol, and disaster management, among others, for five years after opening the systems.