The Dhaka North and Gazipur city authorities are set to implement their specialised U-turn project that is expected to alleviate the insufferable traffic congestion in the two cities.
Under the project, 21 U-turns will be constructed on the 30km road between the Satrasta intersection in Dhaka North and the Chandona roundabout in Gazipur.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has already completed its feasibility study and is ready to float tender for work order. The Gazipur City Corporation has yet to finish its feasibility study.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the DNCC part of the project on January 23 this year.
According to the project, the DNCC will construct 11 U-turns at intersections and roundabouts in Satrasta and in front of Kohinoor Chemical Co Ltd in Tejgaon, Mohakhali bus terminal, under the Mohakhali flyover, Chairman Bari, Kakoli rail station and near Army Golf Club in Banani, Kawla between Uttara and Khilkhet, and near RAB 1 office in Sector 1, Jasimuddin Road in Sector 4 and Abdullahpur in Uttara.
The detailed plan of the project consists of two types of U-turns: A and B. Type A will be designated for buses, larger cars and other vehicles and will be 144 feet wide, and Type B will be designated for small cars and other vehicles and will be 104 feet wide.
The distance between two U-turns will be between 0.8km and 3.2km.
The DNCC will need 23 acres of land to implement the project at the cost of Tk24.5 crore.
The project was first proposed in 2015 by Kamrul Islam, a graduate of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology.
The young engineer had initially suggested to build U-loop systems between Satrasta and Chandona, which would reduce traffic jams by 25-30%. But the city authorities later decided to construct specialised U-turns instead.
“The U-loop system would be expensive and take more space and time,” said Khandakar Mahbub Alam, executive engineer at the DNCC. “But the U-turns will take small fund and can be built in three months.”
Kamrul said if the plan is executed properly, the U-turns would not need traffic police to regulate traffic, and traffic congestion would be reduced by 15%.
DNCC Additional Chief Engineer Kudrat Ullah said: “It is a small project, but its impact on Dhaka traffic will be significant. This is an experimental project and we expect to finish it by December this year.”
But there is a small issue with land space.
Of the 23-acre land that the DNCC needs for this project, 21.5 acres is owned by the Roads and Highways Department. The rest is owned by Bangladesh Railways and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.
Khandakar Mahbub Alam said: “We are facing trouble because the Roads and Highways Department is delaying the handover of the land we need. We sent our proposal nearly two months ago, but they have yet to respond.”
When contacted, Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary MAN Siddique said: “Our Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is being implemented at the same places as the U-turn project. We have already given the work order for the BRT project. Now we are scrutinising the U-turn project’s design plan to see if it conflicts with the BRT project. If there are no issues, we will hand the land over to the DNCC.”
Kudrat Ullah said if necessary, the DNCC would not build U-turns at the points where the design plan overlaps with the BRT project.
Although DNCC officials are hopeful about the project, some experts have doubt.
Dr Shamsul Hoque, professor of civil engineering at Buet, said the U-turn would not be as effective to reduce traffic jams as expected.
“But they city authorities could implement this project as an experiment. The next course of action can be decided depending on how successful this project is.”
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
