The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, the first under-river tunnel in South Asia, is nearing completion and the authorities expect it to be opened for traffic in January.
The government is set to celebrate the completion of the south tube on Saturday, while the north tube is 99% complete.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will join the south tube celebration virtually from Ganabhaban.
The overall progress of the tunnel is at 94%, Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus told reporters while visiting the inauguration venue on Friday.
He said: "It is expected that all works of the tunnel will be completed in January next. The tunnel will be opened for public within January."
Responding to a question, Kaikaus said it is expected that the tunnel will contribute 0.166% to the growth of the national economy.
"The tunnel will greatly improve the traffic situation in Chittagong and promote economic development of the country," he added.
According to the authorities, the tunnel will cut down the time it takes to travel from Anwara to Patenga to just two-and-a-half minutes. It currently takes over an hour, and sometimes two hours, to cross the Karnaphuli River using the Shah Amanat Bridge.
Bangabandhu tunnel Project Director Md Harunur Rashid said: “The construction work on one of the two tubes has been completed. The other tube's work is still ongoing. Along with this, the road work has already been completed.”
Although the construction of tunnel itself is nearly complete, some additional necessary work that was not originally in the project proposal remains, he added.
“As it is a specialized project, some ancillary work will be required,” the project director said.
Bridges Division Secretary Md Monjur Hossain said the first under-river tunnel in South Asia would be a source of pride and dignity for Bangladesh as it would once again demonstrate the country's ability to complete a mega structure.
He added that the aim of the government was to turn Chittagong into a “Two-town city” like Shanghai through the use of the tunnel.
Monjur said the Southern part of Bangladesh's road network would undergo a revolutionary change due to the tunnel.
A modern communication system would be developed with Cox's Bazar, Banshkhali, and Matarbari power plants and Matarbari deep sea port via Anwara crossing through the Karnaphuli tunnel, he added.
He said that the standard of living and employment in the southern region would increase.
On February 24, 2019, boring work for the first tube of the tunnel, which runs under the Karnaphuli River, was inaugurated. The first tube, with a length of 2,450 metres, was finished on August 2, 2020. Boring for the second 2,450-metre-long tube began on December 12, 2020, and construction was completed on October 7, 2021.
The most critical task after the boring of the two main tubes was the installation of the three cross passages interconnecting the tunnel's two tubes.
On October 11, Md Alamgir Hussain, senior assistant secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, issued an order on the formation of the 13 sub-committees to plan the grand inauguration of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel.
When contacted, Md Rupam Anwar, director (administration) of the BBA and convener of the first inauguration committee, said: ''The construction of the Bangabandhu Tunnel project is nearing completion. The tunnel's inauguration is significant as a mega project. Several committees have been formed to ensure a smooth inauguration. The committees have already begun their task. However, a specific date or time for the tunnel's inauguration cannot be given yet. The road transport and bridges minister is expected to visit the project site next week and announce the tunnel's inauguration date.''
[Additional reporting by our Chittagong Correspondent Pimple Barua]
