After missing deadlines several times, the government is set to open three flyovers to traffic on the northbound route on Monday to ease the journey of holidaymakers ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
According to Roads and Highways Department (RHD) Chief Engineer AKM Manir Hossain Pathan, the newly constructed Nowjor, Safipur and Gorai flyovers, under the Sasek-1 project, between Gazipur’s Joydebpur and Tangail’s Elenga will ensure smooth flow of traffic to the country’s northern region by reducing traffic jams during the Eid rush.
During a visit to the site in Joydebpur on Saturday, Road Transport and Highways Secretary Md Nazrul Islam also expressed similar hopes. “Eid holidaymakers will not suffer hopefully.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) had approved the upgrading of the existing 70km Joydevpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga (JCTE) 2 Lane Road to 4 Lane Highway Project on May 5, 2018, with the aim to complete it by June 30, 2020, spending Tk5,993 crore. The project deadline was later extended to June 2021.
Last year, the new December 2022 deadline was set while the cost increased to Tk6,168 crore.
According to the officials, six flyovers and two railway overpasses under the project have already been opened. The construction of the remaining three flyovers is now complete.
The overall progress of the project is 90%. It is expected that 100% of work will be completed by December, they said.
Apart from the three flyovers, Secretary Islam said the second Nolka Bridge in Sirajganj will also be opened to traffic on Monday.
“A bus bay has been built alongside the widening of the road from Dhaka to Sirajganj’s Hatikumrul. This will reduce traffic congestion at the Kadda intersection of the highway,” he said.
He added that necessary steps have been taken to keep the flow of Gazipur-bound traffic, especially the Dhaka and Mymensingh-bound vehicles, smooth under the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project from Abdullahpur to Joydebpur.
Abdullahpur to Joydebpur crossroads, Joydebpur crossroads to Elenga-Hatikumrul - these corridors suffer from severe traffic congestion during every Eid, he told reporters. Besides, the intersections at Elenga junction are being widened. There is a road to Jamalpur and Mymensingh via Tarakanda, Madhupur and Ghatail through Bangabandhu Bridge.
He said the pressure on homebound people during this Eid will be more as the Covid-19 situation is under control now. “We have an arrangement keeping that in mind.”
“Our control room will be open 24 hours. We are also installing CCTV cameras at important points. We will monitor from the control room,” said the secretary.
However, traffic jams have already started on Dhaka-Gazipur and Dhaka-Mymensingh roads.