Two lanes of Tongi flyover under the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line-3 project were inaugurated on Sunday.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader opened the lanes between Tongi Station Road and the Housebuilding area towards Dhaka for traffic at around 12:15pm.
The minister said: “the 20.5km of the BRT lane includes a 4.5km flyover. The remaining 16km lane is being constructed at ground level.”
He added that the flyover was inaugurated to reduce the sufferings of the locals. “It will be possible to fully open the BRT project by next June.”
Obaidul Quader later added that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate 100 bridges in three divisions, including Sylhet on Monday. “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not undertake any new projects before the elections next year.”
Project Director Mahirul Islam Khan said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) had given their opinions on opening the lanes to traffic.
DMP and GMP are set to control the traffic situation on the flyover, he added.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the entire project when it's completed,” Khan later mentioned.
The project was approved by the government in 2012. Two lanes will be reserved for specialized buses in this system.
The construction work of the BRT project began in November 2012 and was expected to be completed by December 2016 at a cost of Tk2,037.9 crore.
However, the project was delayed several times due to difficulties over site acquisition and relocation of utility services, inadequate drainage, a shortage of contractor funding, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest deadline has been set for December. The project cost has so far risen to Tk4,268.3 crore.
