Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday laid the foundation stone of bus rapid transit (BRT) and metro rail here aiming to ease the sufferings of commuters.
The foundation laying ceremony took place at Bhawal Badre Alam University College in Gazipur where the premier addressed a public rally.
The 20-km BRT, stretching from Shahjalal International Airport to Gazipur, will cost Tk 20.39 billion. Its construction work will begin next year.
Of the amount, development partners are providing Tk 16.5 billion while the rest will come from the government fund.
As per a feasibility study, 30,000 passengers will be transported per hour on the BRT route.
The construction work on the 20.1-km metro rail will begin in 2016 and complete in 2021 involving Tk 220 billion.
The project will start from Uttara Third Phase and end at city’s Motijheel. Japan is providing around Tk 165 billion, while the government will bear the rest.
Bangladesh and Japan have already signed a deal to construct the metro rail, which will help transport 60,000 passengers an hour.
The Prime Minister also opened the newly constructed 20-km four-lane Nabinagar-DEPZ-Chandra road, which has been spending Tk 1.3 billion.
Hasina also inaugurated the construction work on the 70-km Gazipur-Chandra-Elenga four-lane project involving Tk 27.88 billion.
Of the money, Tk 18.43 billion is expected from global lenders while the remaining amount will come from the national exchequer. Five flyovers, 27 bridges and 60 culverts will also be constructed under the four-lane project for smooth traffic flow on the busy road.
Its construction will begin in May next year.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of three new four-lane bridges along the existing Kanchpur, Meghna and Meghna-Gumti bridges on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at an estimated cost of Tk 84.87 billion. Of this, Japan will provide Tk 64.29 billion as soft loan.
A deal has already been signed with Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to prepare the designs and carry out the supervision works on the new bridges.
An international consultant will be appointed next month to prepare the designs for the new bridges, construction of which will begin at the end of next year.
Hasina also inaugurated Sheikh Mujib Safari Park, a fire service and civil defence station at Mawna Chourasta, a upazila complex building in Sreepur, a 52-megawatt dual fuel power plant in sadar upazila, Shaheed Ahsanullah Master Stadium at Tongi and a 250-bed hospital.
