Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday said the tender for upgrading Joydevpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga into four lanes would be floated by May and work order would be issued by September this year.
The minister made the disclosure while talking to reporters after visiting the project site at Tangail.
The project, titled “South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity Project: Improvement of Joydevpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga to a 4- Lane Highway,” has been undertaken to improve the road communication with the country’s northern region and connecting with the neighboring countries.
According to the project, the road would connect SAARC Highway Corridor-4, Asian Highway-2 and Asian Highway-41.
An estimated cost of Tk 3,066 crore project was approved at ECNEC on April 24 and the project would be completed by 2018.
Under the project, the existing two-lane 70 kilometers-long highway would be upgraded into four lanes. Five flyovers, 26 bridges and 60 culverts would be constructed while a separate lane would be kept for slow moving vehicles.
Kunhwa Engineering & Consulting Company (Korea) in joint venture with Korea Consultants International Company and International Consultants and Technocrats (India) in association with Development Design Consultant (Bangladesh) had been appointed as consultant companies for the project.
According to a communications ministry press release, the detailed design of the project was likely to be finalised. The government is currently acquiring some 35.43 hectares of land in Gajipur and Tangail for the project.
