Authorities opened the section from airport to Farmgate of Dhaka Elevated Expressway for vehicular movement at 6am on Sunday.
It takes only 10-12 minutes to reach Farmgate from the airport through the expressway.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 22.5km stretch of Dhaka Elevated Expressway at 3:30pm on Saturday.
She travelled on the expressway, making the first toll payment at the airport toll plaza.
Abu Saleh Md Raihan, joint commissioner of traffic (north) at DMP, told UNB: “Traffic jam was seen at the landing points in Farmgate, Mohakhali, Kakoli, Kawla areas due to heavy pressure of vehicles that used the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. As today (Sunday) is the first day, commuters faced inconveniences.”
The government has set toll rates for the Dhaka Elevated Expressway, ranging from a minimum of Tk80 to a maximum of Tk400, depending on the vehicle category.
In a public notice issued on Friday, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), the agency responsible for implementing the infrastructure project, prohibited the use of two and three-wheeled vehicles on the expressway. Additionally, parking, disembarking from vehicles, and standing on the elevated expressway for photography have all been prohibited.
The notification also stated that the maximum speed limit on the main elevated expressway is 60km per hour, while the speed limit on the entrance and exit ramps is 40km per hour.
The government hopes that the expressway will ease traffic congestion to a large extent.
As per project details, the first contract was signed on January 19, 2011, and the reviewed agreement was signed on December 15, 2013. The project completion period was from July 2011 to June 2024.
The total length of the elevated expressway is 46.73km including 19.73km of the main elevated part.
The expressway will cover Kawla, Kuril, Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Kamalapur, Sayedabad, and Jatrabari to Qutubkhali on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.
According to project officials, the First Dhaka Elevated Expressway (FDEE) Company Ltd is the investor company. Italian Thai Development Public Company Ltd has 51% of the shares, China Shandong International Economic and Technical Co-operation Group (CSI) has 34% and Sinohydro Corporation Ltd has 15% of the shares.
The total expenditure of the project is estimated at Tk8,940 crore. Of the total cost, Tk2,413 crore is being provided by the Bangladesh government.
The toll rates for vehicles accessing the expressway were officially disclosed last week. The toll charges are as follows: cars, taxis, jeeps, SUVs, microbuses (with fewer than 16 seats), and light trucks (under three tons) will have to pay Tk80 to use the expressway.
Medium-sized trucks (up to six wheels) will have to pay a toll of Tk320, while trucks with more than six wheels will incur a charge of Tk400.
Additionally, all types of buses with 16 seats or more will need to pay Tk160 to access the expressway.