Road construction quality is subpar: Quader

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that quality is not being maintained in the construction of new roads.

"Four lane roads need renovation only after two years. Dhaka-Chittagong highway is being renovated after two years. For this, a separate project had to be undertaken. Nabinagar-Chandra four-lane road has become full of potholes in less than a year. What will we do with this four-lane?", said the minister at the agreement signing ceremony of SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development Project (Package-3) in the capital on Wednesday.

In his speech as the chief guest, the minister also said that the quality of construction should be considered first and the roads must always be protected.

"There are supposed to be 28 load control stations. But no one knows when they will be built. We are failing to protect the roads and they become damaged within a short time. We have to do whatever is necessary to protect the roads. We need to set up 28 axle load control stations," he said.

Mentioning that we need smart roads to build a "Smart Bangladesh", Quader said, "There is no need for new roads, existing roads need to be made smart. We will complete the ongoing projects while maintaining quality. There is no need for new road construction projects at the moment."

For the upgradation of Dhaka-Sylhet highway to six lanes, the Roads and Highways Department has signed agreements with two contractors – HEGO-MIR AKHTER JV for lot-5 and CHSIETC-SLGC-PDL JV for lot-6 at the capital's Sonargaon Hotel yesterday.

As per the agreements, the cost will be Tk1,232.95 crore for lot-5 and Tk1,085.34 crore for lot-6.

Under lot-5, a 15.7km road will be built from Sarail intersection to Budhanti bus stand. A total of 11 culverts, 11 bridges, one overpass and two foot overbridges will be constructed.

And under lot-6, a 19.1km road will be constructed from Budhanti bus stand to SM Spinning Mill. A total of 25 culverts, two foot overbridges and seven bridges will be constructed.

The implementation period of the two lots under this agreement will be four years with a one-year defect liability period while road management time will be six years.