A portion of the Dhaka Bypass Expressway has been opened for Eid-ul-Azha travelers, similar to its temporary opening during the previous Eid-ul-Fitr.
The commuters from North Bengal to Chittagong and Sylhet and vice versa can enjoy a toll-free expressway journey without crossing the roads of Dhaka city, through this bypass expressway.
The 48km Dhaka Bypass Expressway will provide a smooth travel for buses, trucks and other vehicles moving between the northern and western regions and the southern and eastern parts of the country.
Syed Aslam Ali, project director of the Dhaka Bypass Development Project, said that travellers can enjoy a toll free journey till 15 June centering this Eid-ul-Azha.
He said that full operation of the expressway is scheduled for July next year, with around 67% of the construction already completed.
Of the total length, 21km—from Gazipur district’s Bhogla to Purbachal—has been completed and temporarily opened to traffic to ease movement during the Eid.
The remaining 27km is currently under development, according to the project officials.
This four-lane expressway, a key corridor for freight transportation, is designed to link northern Dhaka's industrial hubs with the port city of Chittagong.
However, progress was delayed by about a year due to complexities in land acquisition, said the authority.
A modern interchange will be built to allow vehicles to enter Purbachal and exit the expressway smoothly.
Toll charges are expected to be around Tk1,400–1,500 for trucks and Tk700–800 for private cars for the stretch from Gazipur Bhogla to Naryanganj, Madanpur once it will be completed and commercially open.
Built with semi-rigid pavement technology—excluding traditional bricks—the expressway is expected to offer greater durability and lower maintenance costs compared to conventional asphalt roads.
The construction began in 2021, with official opening scheduled for July 2025.
The project is being implemented under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement with an estimated cost of Tk3,400 crore.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is acting as the financial adviser.
According to the Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL), the consortium responsible for the project comprises Sichuan Road and Bridge (Group) Corporation Ltd (SRBG), Shamim Enterprise (Pvt) Ltd and UDC Construction Ltd (SRBG) holds a 70% stake, while the two local firms hold 30%.
The PPP agreement was signed on December 6, 2018, between the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the consortium.
The expressway infrastructure includes six new bridges for both the mainline and service lanes, eight mainline overpasses, 46 existing and lengthened box culverts, 49 new culverts, 12 channels and eight pedestrian overpasses.
The route will also integrate with the ongoing South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (Sasec) road connectivity project.
Once completed, vehicles from North Bengal will be able to travel directly to Chittagong and Sylhet without passing through Dhaka city.
The current two-lane road is being upgraded to a four-lane expressway with additional service roads.
Travel time on the route, previously around two hours, is expected to be cut down to just 30 minutes.