Dhaka-Ctg 8-lane highway project to begin by end-2024

Government agencies, including the Roads and Highways Department, have been actively working to finish the preparatory works on major highway upgradation projects as the government wants to begin upgrading the Dhaka-Chattogram highway into eight-lanes by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

Upgrading the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway into four lanes is also a priority for the government because of the significance of the Matarbari deep sea port.

Officials of the Road Transport and Highways Division said they are looking to finalise funding details and designs at the earliest.

Among these, a loan agreement will be signed with Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) this month for the construction of four bypasses and one elevated bypass on five points of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway. Besides, another loan proposal to upgrade the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway into four lanes, under a separate project, is expected to be sent to Jica within the next two months.  

According to preliminary estimates of the Roads and Highways Department, the total cost of development of these two national highways will be Tk 95,650 crore.

On the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway, bypass roads will be constructed at Patia, Dohazari, Keranihat, Amirabad and Chakaria while the elevated bypass has been planned for Keranihat. Construction of these bypasses is expected to begin in the next fiscal year.

Jica will provide a Tk4,533.00 crore loan for this project, said Economic Relations Department (ERD) Additional Secretary AKM Shahabuddin.

Survey work on this project is also in its final stage while the Development Project Proposal (DPP) is being prepared.

Shyamal Kumar Bhattacharyya, Additional Chief Engineer, Roads and Highways Department, said that the DPP will be sent to the Planning Commission soon for approval.

Meanwhile, the Preliminary Project Proposal for upgrading the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway into four lanes was sent to the Planning Commission last February.

Md Ataur Rahman, Additional Chief Engineer (Chattogram Zone), Roads and Highways Department said, "If the Planning Commission feels that the project will be implemented with funding assistance, the preliminary proposal will be sent to the development partners through ERD to secure foreign loans."

The total cost of upgrading this highway into four lanes is estimated at Tk18,000 crore.

Officials of the Roads and Highways Department said that the government's aim was to implement public-private partnership (PPP) for the project. But it was later decided that it will not be done under PPP in the interest of quick implementation.

Officials said JICA has shown interest in financing this project.

Meanwhile, officials of the Planning Commission said that a meeting will be held on the PDPP of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar four-lane highway development project on 16 March, when the decision on funding of the project will be taken.

The first feasibility study on the four-lane upgradation was completed in 2015, while in 2021 the engineering department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology conducted another study.

The Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway will be developed around the Matarbari deep sea port. Therefore, the plan is to build the four-lane highway within the next three years, keeping pace with the deep sea port.

Officials say that 110km of 169km Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway have to be developed into four lanes as eight kilometres from BahaddarHat to Shikalbaha have already been developed into four lanes. Besides, a 10-km stretch from Cox's Bazar to Bankakhi has also been developed into four lanes.

Planning Commission officials said the preliminary proposal for the development of the eight-lane Dhaka-Chattogram highway has been returned as the cost estimate of the project is based on a previous survey undertaken some years ago. As a result, the commission has asked that the proposal based on the latest survey data and with more details be sent to it.

Meanwhile, within the next one month, the work of appointing consultants for Dhaka-Chattogram eight lane project will be completed. The consulting firm will complete the design within 18 months. Chief Engineer of the Roads and Highways Department Md Ishaque said the aim is to complete the approval of the main project proposal and finalise funding before that.

According to Planning Commission sources, last January the Road Transport and Highways Department divided the 229 km Dhaka-Chattogram National Highway into three parts, created three separate PDPPs and sent them to the Planning Commission – 38 km in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Munshiganj section, 125 km in Cumilla-Feni section and 69 km in Chattogram section.

Some parts of the 229 km road will be turned into four lanes and elsewhere into six lanes. The total expenditure has been estimated at Tk73,150 crore.

Roads and Highways Department officials said that the project proposals have been prepared in three separate parts for the implementation of the project by involving multiple development partners.

Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Md Ishaque told TBS that Japan is providing loans for the construction of bypasses and flyovers at five places on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway with the financing of Jica.

Japan has also expressed interest in financing the development of this highway into four lanes, he said.

He added that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will finance the development of the eight-lane Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

The World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) can also be good alternatives if the current loan deal talks do not go through, said the official.

"There will be no problem in getting financing for the development of these two highways. Now the main goal is to complete the preparatory work quickly," said Md Ishaque.