Despite being opened to traffic on November 14 last year, the premier port city’s first-ever elevated expressway has yet to see any vehicular movement except those during its inauguration.
The officials concerned attributed the situation to the impending work of the expressway, with the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), the main project-implementing organization, hoping to open to traffic on one of its sides in April.
Officially dubbed the Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury CDA Expressway, the mega project was planned to help control the bustling city’s growing traffic congestion issue, especially during office hours and in the evening.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurated the 15-kilometre-long project between Patenga and the Tigerpass intersection.
The project authorities said on the eve of the inauguration that it would take a commuter around 15 minutes to travel the distance once the expressway, stretching from Chittagong Shah Amanat Airport to Lalkhan Bazar, is open to traffic.
Usually, during rush hour, it takes almost three hours to cross the route.
The expressway features a 54-foot-wide and four-lane design with 15 ramps, according to the project design. However, no ramps have been constructed yet. This means that even if traffic starts in April, it will not be possible for any vehicles to get on or off the expressway except at the Patenga and Tigerpass ends.
The completion of the construction of the ramps and other impending work may continue until late December or even early next year, some of the officials said.
On November 14, CDA Chairman Zahirul Alam Dubash said: “The flyover will be accessible from 12pm to 3pm, with plans to fully open after the completion of the project.”
Traffic jam threats stay
A lack of ramps will badly add to the city’s daily gridlock instead of helping control it, experts fear.
Meanwhile, the inauguration of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, well-known as Karnaphuli Tunnel, on October 28 last year has given a boost to the city’s traffic.
On average, an additional 4,000 vehicles are using it every day, thus worsening traffic congestion.
The expressway project director and CDA Executive Engineer, Mahfuzur Rahman, told the Bangla Tribune that 90% of the project has not yet been completed.
But just before the inauguration, another project official said 85% of the main flyover was finished by then and expressed his hope that “the remaining work would be completed in a few days.”
Updating the progress of the project recently, Mahfuzur said: “We hope to open it to traffic in April. But no ramps have been constructed yet.
“So, it will not be possible to get on or off the expressway in between Patenga and Tigerpass,” he said.
The deadline for completing the Tk4,369 crore project is this June, Mahfuzur said.
When contacted, CDA Chief Engineer Kazi Hasan Bin Shams said: “Vehicular movement, especially on the Patenga-Bahadderhat route, intensified largely after the Karnaphulli tunnel’s inauguration."
This is also worsening the city’s traffic situation on other routes, Hasan mentioned.
The CDA chief engineer said that 24 ramps were primarily planned for the expressway.
“But now, only 14 will be constructed,” he said, vowing to complete the impending work as soon as possible.
Nevertheless, he told Dhaka Tribune in November that “the expressway is accessible through the Tiger Pass ramp at present.”
Initially approved in the Ecnec meeting on July 11, 2017, the project aimed to alleviate city congestion with an estimated cost of Tk3,250.83 crore. Despite an initial completion target of June 2020, the deadline was first delayed by two years.
But more delays pushed the deadline further to June last year. And, in the third revision, we deferred the deadline by another year to June 2024.
The CDA is jointly implementing the project with a Chinese company, Max-Ranken Joint Venture.
