The government wants China again to build another mega project – the 42km Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway that would enable quick entry and exit of vehicles to and from Dhaka and facilitate transit trade with India, Nepal and Bhutan.
On January 22, the Bridges Division inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the China National Machinery IMP & EXP Corp (CMC) to construct the elevated expressway.
The CMC will start a feasibility study in April, after which it will prepare an estimation of the construction cost with a view to inking the final deal.
If the Bridges Division disagrees with the estimate, the government will cancel the MoU.
The Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway Project was approved in June 2011 at a meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs with an estimated cost of nearly $2 billion.
After four years, the cost may rise up now, Bridges Division Deputy Director (planning and operation) Abul Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Chinese companies have been involved in a few important mega projects in Bangladesh, including the Padma bridge, the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh four-lane highways.
The government had initially decided to implement the project under public-private partnership, but now the project will be under a government-to-government (G2G) agreement.
Sources said as per the directive of cabinet committee on economic affairs, a notice was issued inviting tenders from investors by July 31, 2011. But the government did not find any investor in the past four years to build the PPP project.
“That is why the MoU has been signed under G2G, which as per rules does not require floating tender for the project,” Abul Hossain said.
The expressway will connect Shahjahal International Airport with the National Memorial in Savar via Abdullahpur, Ashulia, the Dhaka EPZ and Chandra on the North Bengal Highway, said a report of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet). The Bridges Division had assigned the university to conduct an initial study on the project.
The project will also have four intersections at Turag, Ashulia, Baipail and Chandra.
It will be an extension of the 26km Dhaka elevated expressway that will link the Shahjalal International Airport with the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway near Shanir Akhra.
The expressway will facilitate movement of transit vehicles between Bangladesh and Nepal, Bhutan and India, and smooth movement of goods-laden vehicles from Chittagong port to Dhaka EPZ and adjoining areas. It will help ease traffic congestion and allow trucks to move across the capital throughout the day.
Bridges Division Secretary Khandakar Anowarul Islam said: “The elevated expressway project is now at the preliminary stage, but we have prioritised it to finish it quickly.”
