The government on Friday started collecting tolls from vehicles plying the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga expressway.
Toll collection on the expressway, officially named Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Highway, started Friday, said Roads and Highways Department official Abdul Momen.
The RHD has recommended the movement of motorcycles be banned on the expressway to prevent gridlock as well as accidents.
The toll rate on the expressway ranges from Tk30 to Tk1,690, according to a circular issued by the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry on Wednesday.
The toll for trailers is Tk1,690, for heavy trucks Tk1,100, medium trucks Tk550, buses Tk495, mini trucks Tk415, minibuses Tk275, microbuses and other four-wheeled vehicles Tk220, sedans Tk140 and motorcycles Tk30.
With the launch of the toll on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga expressway, the authorities will no longer collect tolls from three bridges – Buriganga Bridge-1, Dhaleshwari Bridge and Arialkha Bridge.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 54.7-km four-lane expressway in March 2020 built at a cost of Tk11,003 crore.
The expressway recently grew in importance as it is one of the most efficient ways to travel from the capital to the Padma Bridge, which was inaugurated on June 25.
Since its launch, the Padma Bridge has swiftly become the main route from the capital to the southern parts of the country.
Launch and ferry services at the Shimulia ghat have seen a sharp drop-off in passengers since the bridge opened.
The authorities collected nearly Tk5 crore in tolls from the Padma Bridge in the first two days of its operation, although less was collected on the second day after motorcycles were banned on the bridge.
About 60% of the vehicles that used the bridge on the day it was opened to traffic were motorcycles.
The decision to ban the two-wheelers was taken following a fatal road accident that claimed two lives.
The introduction of the toll on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga expressway has raised concerns that it may lead to a rise in fares for bus services that use the Padma Bridge.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) fixed bus fares for 13 routes in the south-western part of the country that would use the Padma Bridge on June 9.
The BRTA then increased the long-route bus fares on the 13 routes by Tk10-11 taking the toll rate for using Padma Bridge into consideration.
At the time, the BRTA also said that the bus fares would be increased again if a toll was introduced on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga expressway.
