The long-awaited Joydebpur-Mymensingh Highway construction work has missed its deadline again.
According to a report prepared by the Roads and Highway Department (RDH), about 70% physical works of the Joydebpur-Mymensingh four-lane upgradation project has been finished. But the construction of upgradation of two-lane to four-lane was supposed to be completed by June this year.
In February last year, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader told reporters that the project would be finished by December of that year. In the middle of June last year, he had said: “The four-lane project work will be completed by March 2015.”
Additional Chief Engineer of the RHD (Mymensingh circle) Md Sahabuddin told the Dhaka Tribune that the construction work was delayed due to heavy rain in the last three months. He also claimed that construction of the four lane was going on smoothly.
“Finally the construction of the upgradation of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway will be finished with in a couple of months,” he said.
The infrastructure project began in July 2010 under the supervision of the RHD with acquisition of some 8.66 hectares of land. Due to extension of the project deadline twice, the cost was re-estimated too. Finally, the cost is estimated at Tk1,815.12 crore, he said. The project work comprises four packages.
Construction of the first package is 12.25km from Joydebpur intersection-Rajendrapur intersection while the second package is 17.6km road from Rajendrapur intersection to Nayanpur.
Bangladesh Army’s Special Works Organisation (west) is implementing rest two packages. Though the projects began in July 2010, the army was entrusted with the duty in 2012.
According to the report, the army has been working smoothly, but the third package that involves 29.6km Nayanpur-Raimoni, 60% work has been finished while 80% in the fourth package of 27.32km stretch between Raimoni and Mymensingh.
