Congestion worries as Karnaphuli Tunnel to open with link roads unready
The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, or Karnaphuli Tunnel, will be opened partially in October, as traffic police say opening the underwater expressway without the link roads at the both ends ready will prompt a severe traffic congestion in Chattogram.
Echoing the concerns by traffic police, public transport and communication experts expressed surprise as the construction of those roads was supposed to have been completed before the tunnel opening.
In the latest development, the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) plans to construct a number of flyovers and U-loops for smoother traffic flow through the tunnel. But the Traffic Division of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) is still sceptical as the division is not sure when the CDA projects will be completed.
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According to the authorities, the Karnaphuli Tunnel has registered more than 88% progress so far. The opening of the two tubes of the tunnel is planned for December this year.
At least 63 lakh vehicles are estimated to move through the underwater expressway in the first year following the inauguration.
The Bangabandhu Tunnel, the first ever underwater expressway in Bangladesh under the River Karnaphuli, aims at better connectivity between Chattogram's northern and southern part. Chattogram seaport and other port related infrastructure at Patenga are located at the northern part of the tunnel, while the southern part falls under Anwara upazila that is dotted with industries.
The tunnel is expected to enable easy cargo transport between the port and the factories, slash travel time from Dhaka to the south-eastern beach town Cox's Bazar and ease traffic pressure on the port city by channelling out vehicular movement through the Chattogram Outer Ring Road.
For smoother traffic flow, the feasibility study of the tunnel mentions a four-lane road from Patenga to Faujdarhat point of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, widening PB road on Anwara point to six-lane, widening Anwara-Banshkhali road to four-lane, developing Anwara-Pekua road and three feeder roads connecting Chattogram Outer Ring Road to the port city.
But all of these link roads are yet to be completed, raising the spectre of traffic bottlenecks on key points of the transport network through the tunnel.
"Up to June, 88.5% of our project was completed. We are trying to complete the remaining 11.5% by December this year. However, we have time till June next year," Harunur Rashid, project director of the Bangabandhu Tunnel, told The Business Standard on 21 August.
Congestion fears loom large on Patenga point
Tarek Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Traffic (Port) Division of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, told TBS that the Patenga point of the tunnel has at least five major converging roadways – Chattogram Outer Ring Road, Katgar Road, elevated expressway, Airport Road, Patenga Beach Road and the northern entrance of the tunnel.
"The traffic situation at the entrance of the northern end of the tunnel will be terrible. Besides, Patenga beach is within half a kilometre of that junction. We do not know whether the authorities have any plan to handle the pressure," he commented.
He said the CDA is now talking about flyovers and U-loops, but one is sceptical about when these will be implemented.
However, CDA Chief Engineer Kazi Hasan Bin Shams claimed the flyovers and U-loops will be able to tackle the traffic pressure at Patenga intersection at least for the next five years.
Delwar Majumder, former chairman of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB), Chattogram centre, said, "Those who will take the tunnel will do it mainly to reach their destinations quickly. If they have to wait for hours at the entrance of the tunnel, they may lose interest in the underwater expressway."
Outer Ring Road not ready for tunnel benefits either
Chattogram Outer Ring Road by the bay connects the Dhaka-Chattogram highway with the Bangabandhu Tunnel. But a six-kilometre stretch, from Sagarika Point to Faujdarhat, of the 18.5 km ring road has only two lanes.
Besides, the outer road is yet to have its three feeder roads connecting Chattogram city completed.
The traffic division says there might be long tailbacks at Sagarika point on the ring road due to mismanagement.
CMP Deputy Commissioner Tarek Ahmed said the narrow stretch may see frequent mishaps with traffic flows from the tunnel, Chattogram port and private inland container depots.
Rear Admiral M Shahjahan, chairman of Chattogram Port Authority, said, "The traffic pressure on the road will increase more than five times once the Patenga Container Terminal and Bay Terminal are opened. Then congestion may freeze vehicular movement on a five-and-a-half-kilometre area from Sagarika to Faujdarhat."
Chattogram Roads and Highways Executive Engineer Pintu Chakma said widening the narrow stretch of the ring road and Toll Road to six-lane is underway.
"It will take more than two years to float tenders," he noted.
Engineer Delwar Majumder said travel time between Cox's Bazar and the capital will not drop even after the tunnel opening until the above two roads are widened.
Not a single feeder road ready yet
Three feeder roads were to be opened to enable city dwellers to use the Chattogram Outer Ring Road. But the CDA could not complete the construction of the roads despite extending the deadline four times.
To take the tunnel without the feeder roads, Chittagong city residents will have to travel around 10 kilometres to get to the outer ring road. Even on the way back from Patenga Beach or the airport, city dwellers will have to drive for a long time.
Pintu Chakma said railway's objection holds back the feeder road construction on Sagarika point, while Wasa is blocking the feeder road on Anandabazar area.
Urban planner Subhash Barua said the tunnel project's traffic management is still in a mess.
"It is unclear how people will go from the tunnel to the city. Even if they go through the outer ring road, there is no planning as to where they will take a right turn," he added.
Elevated expressway to open in advance, but will it help?
An eight-kilometre patch of the under-construction elevated expressway – which is being considered as one of the major access routes from the Bangabandhu Tunnel to Chittagong city – will open in February next year, leaving 35% of the work still unfinished.
Elevated expressway Project Director Mahfuzur Rahman said, "The eight-kilometre patch from Saltgola to Nimtala Bishwa Road will be completed by February. Vehicles from the tunnel to the city will be able to take the stretch and drive down to the Port Connecting Road at Nimtala point."
CDA Chief Engineer Rafiqul Islam said vehicles from the Port Connecting Road, however, will not be able to drive up the expressway stretch.
Urban planner Subhash Barua said around 10,000 vehicles travel to Chattogram port by the port Connecting Road daily. Cars driving down the expressway to the connecting road will prompt a traffic mess.
No initiative to develop the Anwara-Pekua Road
The feasibility report of the tunnel underscored upgrading PB Road at Anwara end to six lanes and Anwara-Banskhali Road to four lanes to reap the benefits of the modern transport network.
But the PB Road widening is yet to be completed, as the Chattogram Roads and Highways says Anwara-Banskhali Road development project will take time.
The Chinese economic zone and a coal-fired power plant are being built next to Banskhali road. Besides, numerous development projects with local and foreign investments are ongoing in Cox's Bazar.
"If the road from Anwara to Pekua in Cox's Bazar is upgraded to four-lane, the full potential of the tunnel could be utilised," Morshed Nayan, a local social activist, told TBS.
