Ecnec clears Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway project

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has approved the 'Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway' project involving an estimated cost of Tk16,901.32 crore to ease traffic congestion in and around the capital. The approval came from the weekly Ecnec meeting on Tuesday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. After the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said five projects, with an estimated cost of Tk34,567.34 crore, had been approved. "Of the total project cost, Tk12,402.65 crore will come from the national exchequer while the rest of Tk22,164.69 crore as project assistance," he said. All five projects are new ones. Kamal said Bangladesh Bridges Authority under the Bridges Division would implement the expressway project by June 2022. The 24-km expressway will start from Dhaka airport to Nabinagar Mor (crossroad) via Abdullahpur-Ashulia-Baipail and then EPZ to Chandra Mor (crossroad). Minister Kamal said it would be connected with the proposed Dhaka Elevated Expressway. It would help reduce traffic congestions at Abdullahpur-Ashulia, Baipail-Chandra corridor and thus ease road communication between 30 districts of the country and the capital. The expressway includes 10.84 kilometers of ramp and 14.28 kilometers of road. Other main project operations include some 40.89 hectares of land acquisition and rehabilitation, construction of 1.92km Nabinagar flyover, reconstruction of 14.28km At-Grade road, construction of 2.72km bridges and 500 meters of overpass/flyover, and construction of five toll plazas. About the progress of implementation of Annual Development Programme in the first quarter (July-Sept) period of the current fiscal year, Kamal said the ADP implementation progress in this first quarter was the record best 10.21% with an overall expenditure of Tk16,755 crore. The Ecnec meeting also approved the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Extension Project (1st phase) with Tk13,610.47 crore to be implemented by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh by June 2022. Of the total project cost, Tk2,395.69 crore will come from the national exchequer while the rest of Tk11,214.78 crore as project assistance from JICA. The minister said the airport was capable of dealing with some eight million passengers every year and considering the growing demand of air traffic and passengers, the capacity of this airport will reach the limit by 2018. He said considering the survey conducted by the Yooshin (Korea)-CPG (Singapore)-DDC (Dhaka), the number of passengers travelling through this airport will increase to 14 million by 2025 and to 24.8 million by 2035. The other approved projects are Upgradation of Comilla (Tomchom Bridge)-Noakhali (Begumganj) regional highway to four-lane with Tk2,170.78 crore, Construction of Ferryghat and other necessary infrastructures at Balashi and Bahadurabad with Tk124.77 crore and Greater Dhaka Rural Infrastructures Development Project-3 with Tk1,760 crore.